Short Story Smorgasbord
by sh1f7er
Summary: A collection of short stories written for the /r/RWBY Writing Prompt Wednesday thread. These stories will range from dramatic to silly depending on the prompts selected each week. Each chapter in this story will have the prompt the short is written for listed at the top of the page.
1. What? Isn't this what you wanted?

**Author's Notes**

 **Hello everyone!**

 **I wanted to take the time to say that the stories posted here will have a vastly different tone with each and every entry. The idea was to challenge myself in-between stories to try a few different writing styles.**

 **I get each one of these prompts from the Writing Prompt Wednesday thread on /r/RWBY, so those prompts will dictate what shows up on here each week.**

 **I am still planning on releasing another story shortly, I just wanted to get a bit more practice in to make sure it was something worthwhile!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **~Sh1f7er**

* * *

 **Prompt - "What? Isn't this what you wanted?"**

The battle of Haven Academy had been what some were calling a victory. Nobody had expected Raven and Vernal to be there to help defend the relic. Certainly not Cinder.

The battlefield had turned into a bloody mess when they arrived. The powers of the maidens shook Remnant with fire and lightening so powerful that half of the school had been destroyed. Civilians of Mistral tried their best to abandon the city. To them it must have seemed like the gods had decided to rain down hell from atop the mountain. Yang still hadn't been given confirmation on whether or not they had made it out in time.

She wished she could be back there helping them. The rest of her team was. Instead, Qrow had specifically asked for her help tracking down what was left of Adam's White Fang forces. They were going to regroup. Whatever members of the attack were left had to be stopped.

After an hour of travel they had yet to find anything though. The dense forests made it too difficult to track the stragglers. In his infinite drunken wisdom, Qrow had come up with the idea to split up to cover more ground. It sounded terrible at the time.

Running into her mother made it worse.

Raven wore a smug smile as she approached. "Yang. You came looking for me." She made no moves of hostility. It didn't make her words any less aggravating.

"No. I came out here to find what's left of everyone that attacked Haven. I should've figured that you would have run away from the school too."

The smug face quickly turned into a frown. "And here I thought helping you would finally teach you that I'm on your side." Raven placed a hand on her hip as if to emphasize her annoyance.

Yang's eyes flashed red. "And what side would that be? The side that comes around for the first time in eighteen years and expects a thank you for it? Please. You haven't changed anything since the last time we spoke."

"I don't think you understand. I told you that this was a battle that you would never win on your own. I told you that it was far bigger than us. Far bigger than anyone. Yet, you didn't listen to me. You couldn't trust me. If I hadn't decided to help you, you would be dead." Her tone dropped with her final words. Yang just barely picked up on the sadness that it held.

Yang didn't understand. "You came to save me?" Raven simply nodded and Yang's eyes began to fill with tears. "But why? Why did you come now? After all this time, what changed?"

Raven sighed at her daughters growing hysterics. "Because I was scared."

The answer cracked through Yang's stifled tears. "You were scared?"

Raven took a step closer from the tree line. "Yes. I was scared." Her voice had changed once again. No longer was there pride and confidence in it. Now, Yang could only describe it as regret. "I was scared when I left you and your father. I always had been."

Raven's voice grew as she continued her slow approach towards Yang. It seemed that she was even questioning if it was alright to get close to her own daughter. "I saw all of the things that Salem and Ozpin were capable of. It made me realize that there would be no winning. Each and every day could be my last. All it would take is a single mistake and I would be gone."

Yang looked up at her mother. For so long they had felt so distant. Now she only stood a few feet in front of her. "When I had you, that fear grew more than I could ever imagine. I had brought a life into a world that was so evil that I feared for myself each and every day. How was I supposed to protect my own daughter if I was already worried about myself?"

Raven stopped. She was no more than an arm's length away. She held out her arms for Yang to join her.

Yang's eyes closed. After all these years, she couldn't bring herself into the embrace. Instead, she took a step away from her mother.

Raven eyes flared. "What? Isn't this what you wanted? For us to talk? For answers?"

Yang lowered her head. Her words were weak and broken. "Yes. It's everything I've wanted and more." A gunshot rang. Yang winced at its roar. She didn't dare take her eyes off the ground. "I just gave up that dream a long time ago."

Yang lowered her arm to her side. The words of her mother racked through her brain. "Question everything." It was the only lesson Raven had shared with her. The only advice that had ever come from her mother. It only made sense that she would be questioned too. Yang turned to head back to Haven, leaving Emerald's dead body on the ground with her weapon still gripped in her hand.


	2. Pyrrha's Afterlife

**Pyrrha watches the events of Volume 4 from her nice cozy room in the afterlife.**

Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Crunch. Even in the afterlife, her face was plastered all over it. Pyrrha couldn't help but sigh at the sight. Would that be what everyone back on Remnant remembered her for? A box of sugar filled cereal? The stuff wasn't even good for you. Of course, that didn't stop her from filling up her bowl once again. When she was alive, she never ate the stuff. One bowl could take away a morning jogs progress towards her fitness. Now, that was the least of her worries.

In a world that you could never eat enough, drink enough, or relax enough there was no place to worry about things like getting out of shape. Instead, there was all the time in the world to focus on things that truly mattered. The gods had made sure of that.

She looked back over the living space that they had given her on arrival. The walls were a cherry oak with plenty of window space to allow for the brightness of the day to reflect beautiful red colors all throughout the rooms. She couldn't help but feel confident in the way that it illuminated her already deep red hair over her beautiful pale skin. The floors only added to the scene with dark wood tiling. She loved the way that her heels clicked on it as she passed from room to room. In the center of it all was her favorite area. The living space. A simple spot with a screen hung from the wall and three white leather couches lined up in a 'U' shape around it. Truthfully, it wasn't much. Compared to some of her neighbors, it was considered plain. Yet, it was everything she had dreamed it would be. It was home.

She pulled her bowl of sugar from the kitchen area to a glass table that sat in the middle of the couches. A slight flick of her scroll brought the screen to life. She flipped though the channels that she had set up herself. One showed Yang sparring with her father. She had made a lot of progress in the past few months. While Pyrrha couldn't look at her new arm without thinking of her past incidents with metal, she was happy that the girl was recovering.

Next, a wonderful tropical scene graced the screen. It was so full of beautiful colors and life that Pyrrha wished she could've seen in her lifetime. While Blake seemed to be ignoring the terrain, Pyrrha was happy to see the appreciation that Sun seemed to have for it all. The boy always did seem to have an eye for his surroundings. Pyrrha could only assume that it would start to rub off on Blake soon enough.

With another flick of a finger, the beautiful colors were washed away in a brilliant white. The Schnee mansion was the exact definition of the places that Pyrrha had wished to avoid. It was the kind of place that demanded attention and respect from the brilliant cleanliness alone. There was not a spot out of place. Well, outside of one particular room. Pyrrha watched as the glyph circled through the dirty room's floor. Weiss was getting closer. Pyrrha found herself cheering the girl on. After all that time on Remnant, she had no idea that Weiss had wanted away from her father just as much as she had wanted out of the spotlight.

With those three in check, it was time to turn to her favorite station. The one that had demanded her attention every day since she had set it up. What she wasn't expecting to find was an ongoing battle. She watched in horror as a terrifying Grimm swung its arms at her friends. The whirlwind of black sent the four of them flying across the paved streets. When had this happened? Just yesterday they had been carrying Qrow to safety. How had she missed her friends being in danger?

The four of them tried to regroup from the attack when the Grimm let out an ear shattering scream. Pyrrha worried for her own hearing from the sounds coming through the screen. She could only imagine the stinging that went through her friend's heads. Whatever they had been feeling didn't seem to affect Ren. He charged at the beast with a ferocity that she had never seen before. The boy seemed to be throwing himself at the creature with a reckless abandon that could only rival Yang. At that thought, Pyrrha's stomach dropped. "No. Ren stop. Don't do this…" She couldn't help but mouth the words out loud.

Her plea was ignored by the Grimm. It took a moment of weakness to pin Ren against a building with an outstretched arm. A second arm launched itself to finish the job. Pyrrha shielded her eyes. She couldn't bear to watch it happen. The crunch of the buildings walls filled the room. Pyrrha cried out, but when she opened her eyes she saw that it had missed. Nora had saved him.

She buried her face in her hands while her heart beat through her chest. They had to get out of there. They would never survive the way things were going. Pyrrha could only watch as they hit the ground hard. The beast lined them up and started its charge. In a last ditch attempt, Nora tackled Ren under a nearby hut and braced herself for the worst.

It never came. The Grimm never made it to them. Jaune had stopped it. Pyrrha jumped from her seat. He had done it! Jaune had saved them! While he was able to fight it off for a few key moments, the beast finally overpowered him. Jaune was pushed to the side, but he had done his job. The echoing shots of a high caliber sniper rifle rattled out and the Grimm reared its head toward the small girl firing them. The bullets didn't seem to do much, but the distraction was all that was needed for the team to regroup.

Pyrrha watched as team RNJR planned their next attack. She could see something different in their formation. There was a strategy now. But more importantly, there was confidence. The four teammates circled the Grimm. A long arm raced after Ruby, only to be pinned down to the ground by the blade of her scythe. The beast roared in pain before shooting out its second arm towards Jaune. The boy braced for impact, but it never came. Instead, Ren leaped from a nearby building and pinned it to the ground with Jaune's shield. Jaune took the opportunity to force his sword straight through the arm and into the ground. One more howl of pain raced through the air only to be followed by another as Nora's hammer came crashing down onto one of the Grimm's heads.

Pyrrha watched in amazement as Ren made his way to the front of the beast. With nothing more than a knife, he cut his way through each of its limbs. More screams from the Grimm just added to her excitement. They were going to do it! They were going to win! There was one more flash of Ren's blade and the beast began to disintegrate like all of the monstrosities defeated before it. Pyrrha's eyes widened. Her hands balled up at her sides.

"Stupendous! They did it!"

Pyrrha didn't even flinch at the intruding voice. She just smiled cheerfully to herself. "Of course they did Penny. They're getting stronger by the day."

The girl behind her jumped over the white leather couch and landed right next to Pyrrha. With a plop, she giggled and gave her friend a hug. "Oh I know they are! It's just so much fun to watch them go!" Pyrrha nodded her head through the light hug. Penny really was an affectionate person. After all that had happened at the Vytal festival, Pyrrha thought she would never be able to get forgiveness from the other red head. It was just one of the many surprises that Penny continued to deliver.

Penny finally released her grip and fell back onto the full length of the couch. "Sooooo, Pyrrha. What do you want to do today?"

Pyrrha laughed as she watched the girl struggle to keep still while she laid back. It had been a few months, but she still had a long way to go before she had mastered her gift from the gods. "I think you should know the answer to that by now Penny. We have a whole lot of training to do! If the others are going to get stronger every day then we need to as well!"

The quirky girl snapped up to her feet. She threw a hand up in a salute to her friend and yelled out, "Yes ma'am! Let's get this new body combat ready!" Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh. She snapped her fingers and her golden sword and shield made their way into her hands. With a quick step, she bounced off the couch to follow Penny towards the door. Before she left, Pyrrha took one last look at the screen. There she saw the smiling faces of her victorious friends. She knew it would be a long time before she would see any of them in person. Watching their fight only confirmed it. When the time finally came for them to reunite, she and Penny would be ready for them. They would be ready to welcome them home.


	3. Weiss Witnesses Port's Tall Tales

**Prompt - Weiss witnesses one of Professor Port's seemingly tall tales. He isn't embellishing any of them.**

No student at Beacon seemed to be able to make it through an entire period of Professor Port's class. The topic should've been interesting. Information on the different types of Grimm and beasts that resided in the world would probably be one of the most useful things for a huntsman in training. Yet, half the class was asleep while the other half only tried to remain focused. Today, even the class' highest achiever seemed to be out of it.

It didn't take much for Ruby to notice. Normally Weiss would be taking notes for the both of them while she doodled to pass the time. However, when Ruby went to show off her masterpiece of a Port so round he hardly fit on her paper, all she saw was a blank stare. It had been that way ever since the 'special assignment'. To celebrate Weiss' overachieving status in his class, Port had decided to take the girl out on one of his legendary hunts.

The same hunt that he was currently droning on about before his class.

"Yes! Last night's battle was one for the ages. It's been a long while since I last hunted the elusive boar. The last thing I had expected was for there to be nearly five of them!" He looked for the stunned faces of his class. Behind his bushy eyebrows he could spot Yang Xiao Long on the edge of her seat.

Realizing that the professor's gaze was directed towards her sleeping sister, Ruby gave Yang an elbow to wake her up. The unexpected pain almost caused the blonde to topple over from her comfortable position at the edge of the desk. The girl wanted to curse at her younger sibling, but Port continuing his story reminded her that the wakeup call was probably for her own good.

"You see class, yesterday was a special hunt! For the gigantic boar of Remnant, I knew I would need a partner. After her early display with the Boarbatusk, Miss Weiss Schnee seemed like the perfect candidate to come along with me!" He smiled at the white haired heiress. Her eyes just continued to look into space. "Why, if I didn't have her there with me I don't think I would have been able to finish off the beasts!"

He pointed towards the chalkboard to draw the scenario up for the class. "You see, we were surrounded! I guess my hubris towards the hunt got the better of me and I failed to realize just how dire the situation was. When I noticed that there were two more behind us, my stomach dropped. Each one of them was the size of three men! For them to sneak up on me like that was unacceptable!"

"Yeah right. I've seen boar before. They hardly reach above my knee! There's no way that you were surrounded by five that were bigger than you!" Everyone turned to face the voice. It was a bold statement, even if it came from Cardin. "How can you expect us to believe that they were the size of three men?"

Port simply smiled behind his mustache. "Ah, yes. It does seem like this would be very hard to comprehend. Fortunately, I had a partner on this mission. Miss Schnee, would you please confirm my story?"

Weiss' eyes grew wide as recalled the event for the class. Her eyes not once leaving the floor. "There was five of them. Each one was nearly as tall as me on their side. I had never seen anything like them before." Her voice seemed hoarse as she spoke.

The outburst from Cardin had woken up the rest of the students just in time to hear Weiss' testimony. Already there were talks about what exactly had happened. Everyone had always thought Port's stories were fake. Now, he was getting backup from Weiss Schnee of all people.

Port waved a hand before the murmuring class. "It is true. The first three were easy enough to handle, but I was worn down when it came to the last two. I knew that if I was having trouble, Miss Schnee would be having a hard time fending off the beasts herself. So, I mustered up the energy I could and I took the beasts head on! I will admit, one of them almost got the best of me. It was a lot tougher than it looked, but I persevered! Together, we were able to demolish them all. We were almost ready to take on more when…"

 _BBBRRRRIIINNNGGGG_

The school bell rang out loud signaling the end of the class. Much to the professor's dismay, students began to get up from their seats. "Ah, yes. I suppose I do need to work on pacing myself." He sighed. "Very well. The conclusion to this story will have to wait until next period. It did manage to take an unexpected course, if I do say so myself." He chuckled and began to gather his papers as the rest of the students began to leave.

As they left the classroom, Weiss' teammates looked her over in awe. They all had noticed that Weiss had been silent ever since accompanying Port on his latest hunt. Her pale face echoed the thousand yard stare her eyes wouldn't stop giving. They needed to know more. They needed to know anything that could help their friend recover from such an experience.

Yang was the first one to break the silence, "So, it's true? Port really wasn't lying about taking on all those creatures at once was he?" Weiss continued walking. Her eyes fell back to the floor and she shivered as she relived the memory.

"It's true. All of it." She said with a faltering voice. "The way he just… tore through those things." She paused. Her teammates giving her all the time she needed to let out her side of the story. "It was a slaughter. He never asked for help. He just kept going." She gulped. Her face began to shift from the beautiful pale white to a sickening green tinge. Ruby went to hug her partner, but Weiss stopped her before she could. She shook her head. She needed to say something if she was ever going to be the same.

"When it was over, there was nothing left. Port cheered when it ended. Like all of it had been some kind of game." She covered her face with her hands. "I needed to get out of there. I thought I was going to be sick. If it weren't for Professor Goodwitch, I might not have even made it back to our room."

The other three girls looked stunned. For weeks they had listened to the tall tales of Peter Port. They had brushed every one of them off as hyperbole of his adventures. Now they had proof. Weiss had seen him in action. Each one of the girls questioned if they would ever be able to look at the bulbous man the same way.

Ruby placed her hand on Weiss' shoulder to stop her for a second. She looked into Weiss' blue eyes with hers of silver and gave her a smile. "It's going to be okay Weiss. You made it through it! I don't think many would've been able to stomach what you went through."

Weiss shook her head. "Ruby, you don't understand. I didn't make it through it all." Her friends looked at her in shock. After all that she had gone through, there was even more to Port's hunt? Weiss dropped her eyes back down to the floor. "I left him before it was all over. He said he could finish the hunt by himself. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it through another round."

Blake looked at her with a worried expression. "Weiss, what more could there have possibly been? What was there for Port to even finish after you left?"

Weiss choked. She had tried to shove it all out of her mind. She knew the answer. It burned at the back of her head. Blake continued to stare into her eyes. Weiss knew they all were just trying to help. The disgusting answer just wouldn't come out of her mouth.

Ruby held her friend. "Weiss… Please. Let us help you. I know it's hard, but we're your team. We can help you make it through this together."

Weiss opened her mouth to speak. She did her best to force the answer out of herself. "D..d…De…"

Yang tried her best to help. "Weiss, it's okay. Port clearly made it through it all. Please, what did you leave him to finish by himself?"

Weiss nodded her head. She needed to tell them. She swallowed whatever strength she could muster, "After all that I had seen him gone through, I thought I was going to be sick. When he asked if I was ready for more, I ran. I just knew that I would never be able to go another round… Not when there was that much left for dessert."

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 **Author's Notes**

 **What a twist! I did a lot of word play in this one to try and make the twist at the end a little easier to grasp.**

 **You'll notice things like "My stomach dropped." being thrown into the mix throughout the story.**

 **Did you happen to find any of them?**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	4. Geist Possession of Tai (Crack-Comedy)

**Author's Notes**

 **I'm gonna give a fair warning at the top of this one. I tried to make a 'crack-humor' type fic, and it went all over the place.**

 **It took a lot of time to put together, so it earned it's place in these short stories. It's just not going to be for everyone because I basically bastardized every character that walks in on the story.**

 **Thanks for reading all the same!**

 **~Sh1f7er**

* * *

 **Prompt – "A Geist accidentally possesses a human body."**

There are a lot of different ways to spend an enjoyable afternoon on Patch. The vast woods the small islands holds are filled with opportunities to hunt and play games. While dangerous, the waters around it are perfect for a refreshing swim. Even the small towns have opportunities for fun with arcades and theatres. All of those fantastic times could be had if Port would shut his mouth and excuse his class.

Ruby had been looking to go home ever since the Breach. Rumors about Ozpin dismissing the semester early had surfaced and had raised her hopes of seeing her dad early to an unbearable high. It had gotten to the point that she could no longer sit still in her final class. She was sure her sister felt the same way. Snoring was just how Yang showed excitement in Port's class is all.

The round professor was currently talking about some kind of Grimm that he had managed to capture. It was another one of his triumphant victories filled with daring, courage and a sharp wit. Ruby hadn't been paying attention, but Weiss' constant scoffs towards the professor told her all she had to know about the story.

She took one more look at the clock, but a loud _CLANG_ brought her attention back to the front of the classroom. "Behold, class! The rare creature of Grimm known as a Geist!" Port yelled out jubilantly. Ruby's eyes went wide. How had Port managed to secure a Geist? All her studies told her that they could simply possess an object and leave it. Yet, Port had captured it in a cage. The now broken lock holding the crate closed fell off and the Geist sprung out from its prison.

Port smiled as he heard the gasps from the students. "Now which one of you thinks they can take on this creature?" He squinted to see the brave teens that thought they could handle the challenge. Despite five students lifting their hand high in the air, Port didn't manage to see a single one. "No? No takers at all? Well, we are not leaving this classroom until somebody slays this creature! I got it in that cage once, I will not be doing that again!"

Ruby looked around at the students that continued to hold their hand in the air. Professor Goodwitch had specifically told Port to get his eyebrows trimmed down after he cut her cape in two thinking it was a bat. Or, as he put it, a mouse with wings. Clearly, that hadn't happened yet. Even then, the news that they wouldn't be leaving until the Grimm was defeated caused her hand to shoot up higher in an attempt to get his attention.

Port glanced around the room a second time. This time, three quarters of the students had their hand in the air in a desperate attempt to leave. "Really? Still none? I thought you all were huntsm…"

"For the love of the gods, I'm killing the damn thing!"

Port brushed his eyebrows aside. "Ah! Miss Rose! A pleasure to have you join the class!"

Ruby snarled. "I've been here the whole… You know what? Nevermind. Let me go get my scythe." Ruby stamped out of the room towards her locker.

The outrage was just enough to wake Yang from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at the empty seat next to her and then to Blake and Weiss. "What happened to Rubes?"

Weiss pointed at Port and gritted her teeth. "That dunce managed to upset our leader again. I have half a mind to teach him a lesson of respect!"

Yang nodded her head and turned to Blake. "Why do you think Rubes got so angry this time, Blake?"

The faunus struggled to face her partner. She had managed to get herself tangled in her weapon's ribbon. Again. "I think I heard her murmur something about wanting to go home early. Port isn't letting us leave until that Grimm from his cage is gone."

Yang nodded her head once again. "That makes sense! Thank goodness for those ears of yours! I don't know how we would have ever been able to figure it out without them!"

Weiss almost jumped from her chair. "Blake's ears had nothing to do with it! Ruby's been saying that she's wanted to go home ever since the Breach! Have you not been paying attention to our wonderful leader? This is unacceptable! It's deplorable! It's… Where are you going?"

Yang had gotten up about halfway through Weiss' newest hourly rant. She flashed a smile towards the heiress as she walked to the front of the classroom. "To save the day of course! Ruby wants to go home. We have to get rid of the Geist to go home!" She hopped onto the sparring floor and walked right past Port who failed to notice her presence. The Geist stared at her as she approached. It went to let out a scream, but Yang lined up and punched it square in the mask before it could make a sound.

The class was stunned. Yang had gone to take the rare Grimm on her with bare hands. What was even more stunning was the sound the Geist gave off. "Owwwwww! How could I be defeated so easily? My nefarious plan is ruined!" Everyone faced the Geist with wide eyes.

Port continued staring towards the class and addressed the creature. "Floyd? Are you okay? The fight hasn't even started yet! Who hurt you?"

Floyd just waved his lanky black arms in the air. "I'm over here!" Port tried to follow the voice but ran into his desk. "The other way! Over here!" Port turned again and tripped over his Blunderbuss on the floor. He fell to the ground and groaned from the unexpected pain.

The students looked at their teacher in shock. He lifted a hand in the air as if to grasp for help. "Students… The Grimm… It's turned on me. You need to run… The enemy is too powerful. I'll hold it off as long as I can!" All of the students looked to each other and then back to the Geist that had failed to move an inch. A few students shrugged and decided that Port's order was close enough to a class dismissal. The group stood up from their seats and left to go home.

As the crowd funneled out of the classroom, Ruby made her return. The girl's eyes narrowed at the other students. Had Port honestly dismissed the class while she had gone to change? Typical. Just typical. She moved to walk through the door when the Grimm made its appearance. The creature flew out of the doors and looked to be… crying? No, that didn't make any sense. Since when did Grimm cry?

Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose into its mounted sniper rifle form and took aim. "You picked a bad day to run from me." She murmured. The reticle on her scope lined up with the back of the Geist's head. Her finger tugged on the trigger.

"RUBY! YOU'RE BACK!" The gun scythe nearly toppled over and the shot buried itself in the hallway's wall.

Ruby cursed under her breath as the Geist continued its escape. "Weiss, what the hell!? I was gone for five minutes and you just made me miss my shot on that Grimm!"

Weiss' excited face sunk into despair. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I was just so lost without your guidance!"

Ruby's hand smacked her face. "Weiss, you're an adult. We've gone over this. You are allowed to make decisions without me." Ruby sighed as she watched the Geist round a corner at the end of the hall.

Weiss' face lit up. "Of course! As you command!" The heiress stood confidently with her sword drawn. In her moment of self-determination, she missed her leader utter something about that not being a command. Weiss pointed towards the end of the hall. "So, what do we do now?"

Ruby folded her scythe back up and placed it on her hip with a bit of frustration. "We get our team together and go after it! What do you think?" She yelled at her partner.

Weiss nodded. "Right! You always have the best ideas!" She called out with a smile. She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a little metal device. "Team RWBY assemble!" She clicked the button at the end of the metal cylinder and a little red dot appeared on the floor. Within seconds, Blake burst from the classroom doors followed quickly by Yang. Blake pounced on the red dot and slid across the tiled hallway floor.

Weiss clicked the button a second time and the red dot disappeared. Blake quickly got to her feet and brushed off her clothes. She turned to face her leader and gave her a salute. "I sensed the Blake signal and got here as quickly as I could! Where's the danger?"

Ruby sighed once again. "Let's just go." She waved her team forward towards the Geist. As they rounded the halls, the mass of students began to grow. Ruby found it strange. Shouldn't they be heading home? She pushed her way through the crowd and towards its center. What she found horrified her. Laying on the floor was her father. He was unconscious, and appeared to be breathing very slowly. She turned to one of the students that knelt by his side. "What happened to him?! What happened to my dad?!"

The boy shook his head. "I don't know. One second that Grimm was running through the halls. Next thing I know, it collided with your dad and disappeared!"

Ruby shook her head. That was impossible. Geists couldn't take over people… Could they? She shook her dad who groaned in pain. "Dad? Are you okay?"

The man opened his eyes slowly and grimaced at the sight before him. "You're the girl that tried to kill me!" He whispered in horror.

Ruby's eyes went wide. She pounded on her 'dad's' chest. "Get out of my dad!" She yelled. "I swear, you are going to pay for taking him over!"

The Geist in Tai's body laughed. "Foolish girl! There's nothing you can do! Only I can leave an object that I possess. Hurting me will just hurt your father instead!"

Ruby's hands stopped in place. Was it true? Punching Tai would just hurt his body. To the Geist, he was just another object. She couldn't destroy her father. That kills the Tai. How else could she get him out? Killing Grimm was all that she had been trained to do. She murmured to herself. "Think Ruby. Think. How do I get it out of him?"

Her thought process was interrupted by a yell. "Daaaaddddd!" Yang jumped on her 'father'. "You came to pick us up!" She hugged the man's body. All she got in return was groans.

Ruby pulled her sister off as quickly as she could. "Yang! Be careful! The Geist took over dad!"

The blonde inspected the man. "He looks fine to me!" She said with confidence.

Ruby shook her head. "Look, I just had a conversation with the Geist inside of him. He's possessed." She said with growing annoyance.

Yang leaned in for a closer look. "Well, come to think of it, I don't remember dad's eyes being red…" She paused and brought a finger to her chin. "Okay! I know just the thing to prove that this isn't just another one of dad's practical jokes!" She snapped her fingers and stood up tall. "If you're really not our dad, you would never be able to tell a terrible dad joke! Only dads are able to tell dad jokes!" She pointed to the man. "Tell a dad joke, or I'll have to believe Ruby."

The Geist was taken aback. Could it really be that easy to fool the huntress? He thought on her challenge for a minute. He had never heard of a dad joke before. What even made a dad joke? Unbeknownst to the Geist, it had been speaking its thoughts out-loud. "Dad-jokes? Never head of them." It said in a blank tone.

Yang burst into laughter. "Oh, that's the worst one yet!" She nearly fell forward. "YOU not knowing what a dad joke is! That's hilarious!" She slapped her knee and wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't know Ruby. He seems fine to me!"

Ruby's silver eyes glared at her sister. "Did you not just hear me? It literally told me that it is possessing our dad!" She turned to face the crowd of students. "Well? Is anyone going to help me on this?" The sounds of thirty students dispersing and whistling nonchalantly immediately filled the halls. "Fine. Fine! I'll find a way to convince you myself!" She looked back at the Geist to think. It simply smiled at her in its momentary triumph. Ruby's face held an evil stare, but it was quickly interrupted by a noise coming from the other side of the hall.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Port's voice bellowed out. "He's onto something!" Ruby turned around to see Oobleck running towards her at Mach speeds. The girl dove to the side just in time for Oobleck to stop on his heels. The force that followed him kicked up dust and the litter of the hallway and launched it forward in a gust of wind. The professor simply stood up straight and pointed towards her possessed father. Port followed shortly after with a cup of coffee in each hand. "What is it Bart? Did you find the Grimm?" He said with a winded voice.

Professor Oobleck opened his mouth to speak. " !" His mouth clicked shut.

Port simply nodded his head. "I see!" He ignored Ruby's angry comments saying otherwise. "You've earned your reward Bart!" He held one of the coffees out in front of him.

Oobleck snatched the mug out of his hands and took a sip. He let out a groan as the hot liquid fell to his stomach. Ruby could see his eyes grow wide underneath his glasses. " !" Ruby winced as the gust of wind kicked back up. When she opened her eyes, the green haired professor was gone.

Port stared at Tai's body in thought. "Yes, it is imperative that the Geist is removed as soon as possible!" He said with an alarmed tone.

Yang finally spoke up. "What do you mean 'Have the Geist removed'?" She said in a questioning voice. "He's fine! I tested it out myself!" She pointed to the man still laying on the floor. "He was able to tell a dad joke. How could he possibly tell a dad joke if he isn't our dad?"

Ruby wanted to tell Port to ignore her, but he spoke first. "I can't believe your test Miss Xiao Long." Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone was going to do something productive to help her. "No, your method wasn't scientific in the slightest." Ruby attempted to push her hand through her face. "If Tai really is fine like you say, he should be able to pass the Qrow test!"

Ruby's hand slid down her face. "The Crow test? What the hell kind of test is that?" She said with wavering patience.

Port shook his head. "No, not the Crow test. The Qrow test!"

Yang waved a hand in the air. "Question! How's a crow supposed to help with all of this?"

"No, you're not understanding. The QROW test." He said with extra pronunciation.

Yang nodded her head. "No, I gotcha the first time. I just don't see how a bird is supposed to help."

Port went to speak, but this time was cut off by Ruby. "Both of you shut up! Port, get this stupid test over with so we can get this _thing_ out of our dad!"

Port nodded slowly. "Yes, yes. You're very right Miss Rose. Time is of the essence!" He lifted the second coffee in the air. "For this test we must utilize our 'special' brew!" He tossed the coffee cup in the air. Ruby and Yang watched as it fell to the ground.

Just as it was about to crash, a crow burst through the window. The bird quickly grew in size and a hand appeared to catch the cup. "You monster!" The man called out. "How could you even think about wasting it?" He held the cup up to his face and took a sip. His red eyes lulled back into his head as he drank. "Ahhhh... It's even the good stuff."

Ruby looked at the man in amazement. "Uncle…?"

The man took his lips away from the cup. "Ruby!" He said with a smile. Her voice drew his attention away from the coffee cup and he finally took a moment to look around at the situation. "And Yang!" Yang waved her hands enthusiastically at her uncle. Qrow waved back, but his eyes caught the last person in the room. "And… Tai?" He said confused.

Ruby went to speak but was, once again, interrupted by Port. "We have conflicting reports on Tai being taken over by a Geist. We require your services to determine if it is true."

Qrow nodded his head. "Right. The Crow test."

Yang nodded her head eagerly. "Yeah! I don't know what you have to do with a test though!"

Qrow pulled out a brown cup from his pocket and set it on the tile. "You see Yang, the Crow test is the ultimate way to determine if a person has succumb to the Grimm." He lifted the cup to show the pair of dice hidden underneath. "My semblance gives bad luck. It affects anyone around me, including myself at times. Because the creatures of Grimm don't possess a soul, bad luck doesn't affect them."

Yang nodded her head in understanding, but Ruby protested. "How does that make any sense? How does not having a soul mean that you can't have bad luck?"

Qrow shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to understand Ruby. I've used this test for years to prove if someone is still alive. If they fail to roll a seven or higher, they are pronounced dead on the spot. Only someone who is lucky can roll a number that high with two die. So clearly, my semblance didn't work on them. Ipso-facto, they have no soul."

Ruby stared at him in amazement. "You mean to tell me that you've been determining if someone is alive or dead with LUCK?!"

The man looked out into space. "Yes Ruby. I have. No matter how much it hurts, the test has never failed." A tear began to form in his eye.

Yang noticed his sadness and tried to comfort him. "What's wrong uncle?" She said as she moved to give him a hug.

Qrow shook his head. "Ruby doesn't understand. This test is never easy on me. Every time I do it, I am reminded of her mother…"

Ruby froze. "M…My mom? What do you mean? What does this test have to do with my mom?"

Qrow let a tear fall from his cheek. "It reminds me of the day I had to use the test on her…" Ruby began to tear up herself. "I tried to save her; I performed the test three times. Every time I rolled the dice, she just kept getting high numbers." The group watched in awe as the man struggled to recall the story. "I told Tai that it was too late. That we couldn't save her. He just kept fighting me. He kept wanting me to try again. No matter how many times we rolled, the numbers never came up low…" Yang held her uncle tightly. The man choked as he tried to continue. "Summer called us idiots. She said that she was fine, but the test said otherwise. She died that day. Having her yell at us wasn't going to save her."

Ruby snapped. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU LEFT MY MOM TO DIE?! SHE WAS ALIVE AND YOU LEFT HER BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID TEST?!"

Qrow shook his head. "I didn't expect you to understand Ruby. It took your dad a long time to come to terms with it. Your mom just couldn't stop being lucky." He hugged Yang back as the girl stifled her own tears.

The blood rushed to Ruby's head so quickly that she began to feel faint. It was all too much for her to take at once. Her body stumbled and fell to the floor. Her head looking for any way to process what she just heard in the meantime.

The other three watched the girl plant herself on the ground. Qrow looked at the others with a grimace. "Do I need to give her the test too?"

Port shook his head. "No, we've wasted too much time with Tai as it is! I'm sure Ruby will be fine. This is all just a very traumatic experience for her, I'm sure."

Qrow nodded and made knelt beside Tai. His hands gasped the cup and shook the die inside. Before rolling, he made sure to take another swig from his coffee cup. "Here goes nothing!" He called out. The die hit the floor and bounced towards Tai's body. The silent Geist watched in horror as they tumbled to a stop.

"SIX! I knew it! He's not a Grimm! He's just fine!" Yang yelled out. She jumped in the air to celebrate, but Qrow held her down.

"No… It can't be…" Qrow said looking at the die.

Yang gave him a questioning look. "What's the matter? Isn't that a good thing?"

He shook his head. "No… You counted wrong." He said holding up the dice. "He rolled a fifteen." Yang stared at the two die in his hand. Something clearly wasn't adding up. Qrow pointed at the small dots on each die. As he did, his hand swayed from side to side. "See! Fifteen!" He said with a small hiccup. "The test never lies!" He threw his hands in the air and stumbled a few feet away from Tai's body. "He really is possessed! How are we gonna get that Grimm outta him?" He said in a panic. His words occasionally slurring.

"I think WE can be of assistance!" A voice shouted out. The group turned to face the source of the noise and found Weiss with the laser pointer in hand. "I came up with a plan!" She said confidently.

The new noise woke Ruby from her stupor. "HA! YOU have a plan? Like you have ever thought of ANYTHING by yourself!" Weiss stepped back. Her feelings clearly hurt from her leader's words. That didn't stop the girl from turning towards her uncle. "And YOU! You can't get fifteen with two die! You're clearly drunk from Port's 'special' brew which is probably just some shitty vodka!" Qrow cursed at her under his breath as he took another swig. Ruby then turned to Port. "And you need a haircut you damn hippie!"

The group stared in amazement at the small leader. None of them had ever seen her lose her temper quite like that before. It took Yang a few moments to break the silence. "What about me?" She said in a small voice.

Ruby turned to her with a dumbstruck expression. "What about you Yang?" She called out with the same angry tone.

Yang sniffled. "I… I just don't like being left out is all. I thought you knew that…"

Ruby swallowed her words. How could she have yelled at her older sister like that? Especially when she was such a delicate, innocent person. She rushed to her sister's side. "Oh, Yang. I didn't mean to leave you out." She said wrapping her arms around her. "You're… You're so very blonde… Yeah. That's it!" She said in the least condescending tone she could muster.

Yang blushed and twirled her free hand through her hair. "You really mean that Rubes?" She said with a smile starting to form on her face.

Ruby laughed and gave her sister an extra tight squeeze with her hug. "The blondest they come!"

Yang broke out of the hold and jumped in the air. "Yes!" She yelled in victory. "Now all that's left to do is get that Geist out of dad!"

Ruby paused. "I thought you didn't think he was possessed, Yang." She said with a questioning tone.

Yang just nodded at her sister. "Well, I did. But then Qrow's test said he was and apparently the test is never wrong!"

Ruby's face embedded itself in one of the nearby walls. "Fine. The test was positive for Geist infestation. We might as well listen to Weiss' plan too while we're at it."

Weiss jumped for joy. "You really mean it?!" She cheered.

Ruby turned to face her through the drywall. "Yes. Now speak quickly before I change my mind."

Weiss bounced in place and clicked the laser pointer. The red dot had not been on the ground for a second before their faunus teammate joined it. However, this time she had a guest. Yang's eyes went wide at the sight. "You brought HER?! But how? How did you beat her?"

"I used a special dust to help us win the battle!" Weiss said confidently, clicking the laser pointer off.

Ruby stared at the tied up girl covered in, what looked to be, green dust. Blake's attention jumped from the missing red dot to the girl tangled in ribbon on her back. Her eyes went half lidded as she attempted to paw at her.

Ruby's lightly placed her thumb and middle finger over her eyelids and sighed. "Is that catnip?" She asked in monotone.

Weiss' eyes grew wide at her leader's quick realization. "Well… I… uh… It worked didn't it?" She said weakly trying to regain her leader's favor.

Ruby ran her hand over her face and into her hair. Weiss wasn't wrong. It worked. She couldn't believe she was joining the madness. "Yes. Congratulations. You captured Neo. How is that going to help with anything?" Ruby asked with yet another sigh.

Weiss squirmed excitedly at the question. "You see, oh wonderful leader, she has multi colored eyes!" Weiss said ecstatically.

"And?" Ruby asked flatly.

Weiss' face turned into a frown. "Well… I have never seen a person with two different colored eyes. I thought that it might mean that she was possessed too…" Her voice wavered as she spoke. Even she began to see the holes in her argument.

Ruby laughed. "Different colored eyes? That's your reasoning for capturing a dangerous criminal? Sure. Why not?" Her laugh began to go to hysterics. Everyone watched the girl's mind crack right in front of them.

Everyone, except for Neo and Tai.

It was Floyd who spoke through Tai's body first. "Patricia? Is that you?" Six heads jolted to face him. One turned to face a wall. Floyd's eyes went wide and his voice dropped down to nothing more than a whisper. "Well? Is it?" He said with a hint of hope in his voice.

Everyone's neck creaked towards the criminal strapped to Blake's back. The girl looked around nervously. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she just nodded. She wanted to do more, but the straps prevented it.

Floyd raised one of Tai's hands. "Darling, I've been searching the world looking for you! I can't believe it's really you!" The Geist slowly emerged from Tai's body and drifted towards his long lost love. At that moment, Patricia did the same. Both Tai and Neo collapsed as they left, but the Geists paid no mind. They met each other in a welcoming embrace. "Patricia… I've missed you so much." His partner just nodded.

Floyd brought his mask up to Patricia's. It had been so long since their last embrace. He closed his eye to get ready for the 'kiss'. His whole body shook as he readied himself for the fireworks.

 _BANG!_

A gunshot echoed through the hallways. The two Geists disappeared in black dissolving smoke. Everyone turned their heads in horror towards the leader of team RWBY. As they did, the girl quickly folded up her smoking gun and placed it on her hip. The room was silent as she grabbed her father's body and began to drag him towards the bullhead home, whistling as she walked.

Yang looked at the rest of the group. "So… We did it?" She said with a bit of concern in her voice.

"WELL IT'S ABOUT F*$%ING TIME!" Neo yelled back at her.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **I'm adding notes at the bottom of this one too.**

 **This prompt got out of hand in a hurry. Excuse me while I take a cold shower.**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	5. Buddy Cop 'Comedy'

**Prompt - Your favorite character stars with your least favorite character in a buddy cop comedy.**

It was another cold afternoon in the station. The air conditioning in the building was always on. Many of the regular employees complained about it, but Corsac lived for it. Not many employers welcomed faunus into their ranks. Even fewer made adjustments to help with the added heat that came from having extra fur and appendages. It added another sting to the white envelope he held in his hands. 'Leave of Absence' was the only thing he had read from the letter it contained. After all he and Fennec had been through for the force, they were just going to cast him aside. Mental health be damned.

The outrage he felt towards the note had forced him towards the Commissioner's office. He wanted to bare his teeth at the man behind the door, but that would just further prove his point. No. He had to do this the usual way. Calm. Cool. Collected. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A voice from behind the glass called out. Corsac turned the doorknob and stepped inside. The Commissioner sat in his large black leather chair at his desk. As Corsac entered, he tried to quickly finish his last email. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone this afternoon. To what do I owe this meeting?" The man swung his chair around to see the fox faunus sitting high in the chair before his desk. "Ah… Corsac. I can only assume what you've come to talk with me about."

Corsac simply placed the envelope at his desk. "Leo. Would you care to explain why this was sitting at my desk when I got back from lunch?" The question was asked flatly. He knew the answer. He wanted the man to admit to it.

Leo stumbled a bit in his seat. "Well, I… I thought it would be for the best after the… events that recently transpired." His eyes shifted towards the wall. Even as the newly appointed head of the department, Leo still had problems holding himself together.

A frown slid across Corsac's face. "I see no better reason to keep me out in the field." He thought back on the recent events and his face flipped back to one filled with confidence. "We were able to lock up Adam Taurus. Without a leader, I can put a stop to them for go…"

Leo's fist pounded his desk. "No. YOU will not be doing anything! You may have locked up Adam Taurus, but there are already reports of a new leader taking the helm. I don't think I have to tell you who that would be."

The news stung through Corsac's body. "That's exactly why I have to be the one out there." His raised voice broke through his collected façade. "SHE killed my brother! Let me have my shot at bringing her in!" It wasn't until he was done yelling that he realized he was standing over Leo's desk. He glared at the man who didn't budge at his argument and scoffed.

Leo sighed and pinched his fingers over the bridge of his nose. "Without your partner, I can't possibly send you back into the field." He shook his head in thought. "You did well to infiltrate the White Fang Corporation. Your brother did too. Nobody asked you to stay undercover that long, but you did." He finally raised his chin to face the broken down cop. "It's just too dangerous to go in alone. I don't have a single experienced officer to go with you either."

Corsac's tail twitched and a smile made its way back to his face. "Then I'll take an unexperienced one."

It was Leo's turn to stand. "You are not about to take one of my new recruits into a war zone! I won't allow it!"

Corsac shook his head. "They won't be going into a war zone, Leo. I will be! You said I need backup. Well, give me the backup and let me finish the job." Leo's face didn't relent. Corsac knew that this could be his only chance. He just needed some way to convince the man in front of him. He dropped his head and let his eyes sink to the floor. "Please, Leo. Please let me try. It's what Fennec would have wanted."

Leo turned away. He looked up at the ceiling and slowly rubbed his forehead. He had been doing so well, but he hadn't been expecting a plea. He gave off a sigh in defeat. "Very well. You will have your recruit." Corsac went to thank Leo, but the man turned to face him with the sternest look he had even seen from the new Commissioner. "BUT, you are to be responsible for their safety. If anything happens to them it will be on your head."

Corsac met Leo's eyes and nodded in agreement. "I understand."

The two stood there for an uncomfortably long moment before Leo finally resigned. He opened up one of the drawers to his wooden desk and pulled out a file. He skipped through some of the pages and handed it to Corsac. "Your new recruit. A fresh graduate straight out of Beacon Police Academy. Miss Yang Xiao Long."

* * *

 _This next morning_

Corsac leaned against his patrol car and glanced at his scroll. 8:10. It was her first day and the new recruit was ten minutes late. He scoffed. Typical. He made to go inside for a second morning coffee, but was interrupted by a ground-shaking rumble. He turned to face the source. It still sounded distant, but was quickly approaching. His hands reached for his weapon, a golden dagger with a spiraled blade. With his fingers around the hilt, he readied himself for whatever danger awaited him. The low rumbling grew to an alarming noise and was immediately replaced by an ear-piercing screech. Corsac flinched. His hands shot up to cover his ears. It wasn't a moment after he had protected himself that the noise ended. He paused for a moment before opening a single eye to see what had caused it.

The empty parking spot next to his cruiser was now occupied with a yellow sports bike. The black metal highlights matched the nearly fifty-foot skid mark that trailed from the main road all the way to the bike's tires. He glared at the rider. Who could be so reckless to park that way at a police station? Almost on cue, the figure on the bike sat up and reached for its helmet. With a simple click, the yellow safety garment popped away from golden hair. The figure placed a hand underneath the golden locks and flung them all back into place between her shoulder blades. A heeled boot hit the ground, followed by a kickstand. The young woman took a step away from the bike and looked up at Corsec with large lilac eyes. "Hey there! I'm looking for someone named…" She took a note with scribbled letters out of her pocket. "Corsac Albain! That's the one!"

Corsac's jaw hung just low enough to leave his mouth slightly agape. How had this girl ever graduated from such a prestigious academy? In under a single step, she had already broken at least five rules listed in the officer code of conduct. That didn't even include all the infractions that came from her outfit.

He eyed the girl up and down as she approached. "That… would be me." He said sternly. "And who do you think you are?"

Yang caught the glances at her outfit and certainly noticed his tone of voice. Oh great, she thought to herself, they paired me up with a hardass. Her cheery demeanor quickly changed to the straight-laced one that had been drilled into her at the academy. "Officer Xiao Long reporting for duty." She responded with a salute.

The man rolled his eyes to match his shaking head. "Please, don't patronize me. You're fifteen minutes late and we have a job to finish." He did another once over of her outfit. "You were told about the assignment, were you not?"

Yang followed his eyes. "Yes I did. Is there some sort of a problem?" She asked with a sour tone slipping out.

His frown continued as he brought his eyes back up to hers. "I ask because the assignment calls for discretion." He turned to face the building behind him. "I fail to see how we can be discrete when everyone is going to be staring at your chest."

He had been expecting some sort of anger out of the girl. Instead, he was met with a laugh. "Yeah. I suppose you're right. I'll have to remember that the next time I catch your tail wagging."

The man whipped around. His furious look did fantastic work of covering his embarrassment. "This is a serious job, Miss Xiao Long! You are here to be an officer. As of now, I can't see you being anything else but a pain in my ass."

Yang stood up straight and put a hand on her hip. "Look, Corsac. I read the file. I'm supposed to tag along with you for backup." Her tone evening out as she spoke. "I was given clear instruction to only assist if my partner needed help. I figured if I wasn't going to be seeing any action, I might as well dress comfy."

He continued his glare for just a moment more before pulling his keys out of his pocket. "You aren't my partner." He muttered under his breath. He opened the door and moved to get in the driver's seat. "Just follow your instructions. I'll end this quickly." He called out in a low grumble.

Yang stuck her tongue out at the man's back as he stepped into the car. A whole day with her wonderful new partner. How fun.

* * *

The drive to Corsac's destination had been a long one. The man played no music, and failed to say more than a few words to Yang. That wasn't to say there wasn't any surprises. He had accepted her offer to synch their scrolls together. It was one of the many features that Yang had discovered on the device she was given along with the assignment. At the moment, Corsac's dot appeared on her screen registering him only a few hundred feet from her. The same place that it had been for last two hours. She sighed and propped her feet up on the car's dashboard. To be fair to her partner, there probably wasn't too many places to go. She just hoped it would lead to something so that she could follow a different order then 'wait in the car'.

With the dot staying put, she turned back to her surroundings. The destination had been an old warehouse that used to belong to the White Fang Corporation. The way the briefing file had talked about it, Yang had expected something a bit more extravagant. The building itself appeared to be falling apart. The cement blocks that held it up were full of dirt and cracks. What few windows it held had been smashed at one point or another. The only color she could make out were a few red and blue shipping containers with the Schnee logo on them, but that was to be expected.

The briefing file told her that the White Fang Corp had been dealing with an unusually large amount of the stuff as of late. They had publically denied the claim, but the evidence against it was pretty damning. To most, it would seem like more shady business from a large company. However, some undercover investigations proved that there was more to the story than that. At least, that's what she assumed. The rest of the file had been redacted. The only extra piece of information given was that the investigation led to the arrest of a man named Adam Taurus.

Yang sighed. Why was she even out here with the grumpy fox faunus? She had signed up for special assignment work for the excitement. "I guess nothing says excitement more than taking a nap." She mumbled to herself. She leaned her chair back as far as it would go and shifted into a nice and comfortable position. With a nice stretch, she closed her eyes.

Her dreams were filled with images of action movies. Spruce Willis was in a high-speed chase with bank robbers that shot back at him as he drove. Bang. Out went one of his tires. BANG. Out went the windshield. BANG!

Yang snapped up from her dream. The banging noises didn't stop there. She jumped up from the seat. "Shit shit shit shit..." She started yelling out as the gunshots continued. The passenger door flew open and she hit the ground running towards the warehouse. Her weapons cocked back and loaded as she pulled out her scroll. Corsac's dot remained in the same place it had been all morning. She looked at the sky. Okay, maybe all afternoon.

She rounded the corner of the entrance and came face to face with a faunus with tusks and a machine gun. The man froze, but Yang gave him so such kindness. A shot rang out and her fist connected with his jaw. The faunus hit the floor with a thud and his weapon skittered across the floor. From the rafters she heard the voice of a woman yell out. "Oh! You brought a new friend Corsac. Is she supposed to replace your traitor of a brother?" Yang's eyes found the owner of the voice. A girl wearing black tights and a white coat. From what she could see, the woman's most defining feature had to be the cat ears that stuck out of her long black hair.

The view was short lived as the shots turned towards Yang. She ducked behind a metal container just as the sparks from the rounds flew past her. "Okay Yang. Think. Think. Where's Corsac? He's gotta be around here. Find him. Get out. Easy as that." She gasped out between hastened breaths. She tried to take in what surrounds she could behind her cover. It was all open space, save for a few containers at the other side of the room.

Suddenly, a bright flash shot across the warehouse. Yang's eyes darted to the source. "She's not a part of this Belladonna! Today, you answer to me!" Her eyes widened. Corsac stood in the open. His dagger firing off fireballs towards the faunus as he yelled.

The attention he drew from her came with gunshots. Without cover, there was no way they would miss. Yang closed her eyes. "I take it back. I liked the car more." She mumbled. "This is gonna suck…" She jumped from her metal shield and fired off her gauntlets. The faunus criminals hardly reacted as she flew across the room. Instead, they held their fire on Corsac's position. Blake lined up a shot from the rafters and her weapon went off. Corsac saw the discharge, but the brunt force he felt came from a different source.

He winced from the impact and tumbled across the floor towards the far side containers. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was yellow. He rolled to the side and Yang slid off of him. "AHHH!" She cried out. "Those bastards shot me!"

Corsac stared at her with wide eyes. "Are you out of your damn mind?! I told you to wait in the car!" His voice just barely making it over the sounds of the ricocheting bullets around them.

Yang just held onto her bloody arm. "Speak for yourself, Jackass! Do you have some sort of death wish?" She yelled back. "You complained about my outfit, but standing out in the open is about as 'discrete' as your tail!"

He couldn't stop himself from baring his teeth at her. However, it was Blake that yelled out first. "What's the matter, Corsac? Are you going to lose this partner too?" The teasing tone made him sick. At the same time, it made him far more aware of the blood starting to soak Yang's black and white jacket.

"Agh… You ruined everything!" He sneered at Yang. With that, he pulled out his dagger. A gust of wind began to spread from the tip. He leaned against their cover and aimed it towards the enemy's last known position. With a click of the trigger, all hell broke loose. A raging gust whipped up in the middle of the warehouse. The faunus in the rafters were forced to take hold of the steel beams they stood on. Corsac slid his dagger in his pocket and lifted Yang on his shoulder. By the time the storm cleared, they were gone.

Blake Belladonna pulled herself up from the railing. Her weapon clicked back into its blade form and was placed back into its sheathe. With that, she pulled out her scroll. A view rings later, she heard a voice acknowledge her. "He got away." She said evenly. "He has a new partner, but she won't be getting in our way again."

"Good." The voice replied. "Proceed with tonight's plan."

Blake nodded her head and the call ended. She placed it in her pocket and turned to face the rest of the faunus around her. "Everyone regroup. We're heading for the next target."

* * *

The siren from the patrol car was deafening. The way the noise swirled in Yang's head made her want to scream. "Ahhh… Make it stop…" She groaned.

Corsac eyes stayed on the road as he swerved through yet another intersection. "I'm working on it." He said as they took a sharp right turn. "We're getting you to a hospital."

The pain in Yang's arm sharpened as she fell back into her seat from the wild driving. "Dammit! Would you calm down with the turns?" She gripped the area surrounding the wound. His response of nothing was not the answer she was looking for. During a straightaway, she took a look at the damage. "Why the hell does this sting so much?"

Corsac slammed on the gas. "It's because they were using dust rounds." He said with anger in his voice. "Ice, earth, fire, I've seen it all from them before." He took a quick glimpse at her wound. "From the looks of things, you got hit by earth." He shook his head. "We need to go faster!"

Yang eyed him from her seat. "You've seen it all before?" She said noting the tone in his voice. "What do you mean you've seen _this_ before?" She said nodding at her arm.

Corsac ground his teeth. "Earth dust does its damage to flesh over time. Unlike ice and fire, it spreads like an infection." The car took another sharp turn. The hospital only a block away. "It's not a pleasant way to die." He said grimacing.

Yang's face went pale. "It was you. You were the undercover cop that arrested Adam Taurus!"

Corsac head sunk slightly. "WE arrested Adam Taurus." His voice turning to venom. " _She_ made sure we both paid for it."

Yang went to speak, but the car slammed to a stop by the emergency entrance. A few nurses came running to their door with a stretcher. As they lifted her away, she noticed he hadn't moved from his seat. "Wait. Where are you going?!" She called out at him.

A radio inside the police car woke up. "Calling all nearby officers! We've got a break in at 'Dust Till Dawn!' We need immediate assistance!" Gunshots rang out in the background of the call. "Dammit! Somebody get out here!"

Corsac entered the location in his scroll. "To finish this." He said in one cold breath.

As Yang was strapped into the stretcher, the sirens of the car blared once again. The tires spun, and the car took off back onto the main road. Yang cursed under her breath. With her free hand, she pulled out her scroll. Corsac's dot raced across the screen.

* * *

The radio called out a second time on the drive. "Everyone, turn back! There are too many of them! We have injured that need to go to the hospital!" Corsac muted it. His eyes blazed his path further into the road. His car tore through intersections at a ridiculous pace. Other drivers swerved off to the side to avoid coming into contact with him. Their horns could go off all they wanted. His mission was clear.

As he drew closer, he dimmed the lights and turned off the sirens. The other officers had pulled back. The criminals would hardly be expecting a single man to be going after them. The element of surprise was his this time.

About a block from the store, he parked the car. Even from that distance, he could see that the crime scene was a mess. Cars littered the streets where people had tried to flee from danger. From Dust Till Dawn appeared to be ruined. The walls were dented by ranging types of ammunition. Brick and trash littered the sidewalk in front of it. Only one window remained un-shattered. Corsac took a deep breath, drew his dagger from his pocket, and pushed forward.

During his approach, he heard a familiar voice call out orders. "You two, load up the truck. You two, finish filling up the rest of the dust canisters." His hands shook. She would not be getting away this time.

As footsteps began to make their way outside of the building, Corsac took cover against the entrance walls. Two faunus stepped outside carrying large black containers. Each one of them struggled under the weight with each step. He followed closely behind as they made their way to an empty truck. One man dropped his in and huffed. "Damn! She couldn't have made us fill these things any heavier? My spine didn't even break yet!"

His companion quickly dropped his crate in the truck next to it. "Yeah. I feel ya." The man wiped off his brow. "I think the boss is just under a lot of stress. I mean, I would be too if my boyfriend waAHHH!"

The cries from the man were quickly silenced. The back of his unconscious head hit the pavement with a low thud. His partner immediately following suit. Corsac left them both laying where they slept. Boyfriend, huh? He thought to himself. A lover is no replacement for a brother.

Inside the building, the sounds of the dust tubes in use echoed over the silent air. The thwooping noise was almost comedic. That was, until it was silenced as well. Corsac was more careful with the bodies that had been operating them. The element of surprise was still his. With those cat ears, he had to be as quiet as possib…

"Hello there, Corsac." The faunus eyes grew wide and he turned to face the haunting voice. His body twisted as quickly as it could, but his adversary's blade drove itself into his ribs.

"UUGH!" Corsac coughed out. The blade stayed still as his body began to go limp.

"I thought things were getting a bit too quiet." The cat faunus spoke softly. "To think, you thought you could sneak up on _me_." Corsac's eyes tried to meet hers. To glare. To do anything to show his hatred of the girl. The second they moved, the blade lurched forward. "Ah-ah-ah. It's my turn to speak." She said in a sinister calm. Corsac hated it. He hated her. He could almost feel the rumbling of the earth under her every word. "You took Adam from me. He was my leader. My partner." Her eyes glared at him. "He was everything!" The sword lurched forward once more, quickly followed by more pained coughs. Blood began to trickle out of Corsac's mouth only adding to his red-stained clothes. "I swore that I would make you pay for taking him from me. I swore that I would take everything you loved." The blade ripped itself out of his chest and he fell to the floor in a heap. He could feel the ground shaking underneath his body. The sounds of the world were being tuned out. All that was left was a grumble.

"Now it's your turn." Blake said as she drew her blade above her head. The girl smirked, and the blade came down. Corsac flinched. The sounds of shattering glass rang out. The sign that his world was coming to an end.

"AAAHHHH!"

It wasn't his screams that rang out. Corsac opened his eyes. Blake was gone. He blinked trying to find out what kind of trick it was. His eyes darted around and found her. Her body laid on the ground. A yellow and black motorcycle on top of it. The sounds of crunching glass ran through the building. Corsac's eyes darted to the sound just in time to see Yang stepping through a shattered window. "Well… that's gonna put a dent in Bumblebee…" She murmured while staring at the damaged wall her bike had crashed into.

Corsac stared in amazement at the blonde. She wore nothing more than a hospital gown. Her arm was wrapped in a sling, which kept it snug to her chest. He couldn't even comprehend how she had managed to launch her motorcycle into Blake, much less drive it in that condition. All he could do was continue to give her his dumbstruck stare.

Yang huffed and brought her free hand to her hip. "Well? I don't get a thank you for saving your sorry hide… Again?"

Corsac's eyes didn't move. All of this, and Yang still managed to joke. He couldn't help but chuckle at the craziness of it all. The slight movement brought the pain in his chest to a staggering height. He covered his mouth with his hand as he coughed from the pain. The blonde's eyes went wide with worry. Corsac saw it. He tried to find anything to draw her attention away. When he realized he wouldn't be able to move on his own, he opted to play her game.

"You look.. Unwell." He finally called back to her. Her eyes just locked with his. He coughed back another pained chuckle. "What? You can't take a joke now? It's almost like you're a real cop." He continued with his regular low tone. From his spot against the wall, he hoisted up a shaky hand to point at her. "You even decided to wear something modest for once."

Yang huffed at the injured man. "Yeah? Laugh it up foxy." She moved to his side and hoisted his arm over her shoulder. "You'll be wearing one in just a minute!" A snide smile crossed her face. Her hand reached down and yanked on the faunus' tail.

Corsac yelped in pain. "OW! What the hell was that for? I'm bleeding out! Are you helping me or killing me?"

Yang laughed. "That's to make us even!"

"What do you mean 'even'?" He asked while she continued to drag him towards the exit.

"Well, for one, you let me get shot on my first day!"

"YOU got yourself shot on the first day!" He fired back. "If you would've just followed your orders everything would've be fine!"

His tone just made Yang laugh harder. "Yeah yeah yeah. You keep telling yourself that." She said playing him off. Corsac glared at her and then rolled his eyes when he realized how little of an effect it had on the girl. It was Yang's turn to scoff. She turned to face the wounded man on her shoulder. "Fine. You want to know why I did it?" The man didn't bother to turn his head towards her. Instead, he opted to listen and stare at her from the corner of his eye. "The truth is that it was revenge. Not for the arm, but because you're a pain in MY ass too... Partner." Corsac's only response was a few more pained coughs. Yang was expecting another glare. Instead, for the first time, she witnessed the man smile.

"Revenge…" He muttered while looking over the wreckage of the store. His eyes trailed over Blake's body laying sprawled out under the yellow motorcycle. "I think that's the first thing you and I can agree on… Partner."

* * *

 _A few weeks later_

"Come in!" The commissioner called out. He sat in his black leather seat with his elbows rested on his desk. His two guests stepped into the room and took their seats in front of him. "You both are well aware of why I called you here today?" He asked flatly. Yang propped her elbow on her chairs armrest and leaned to the side while Corsac remained sitting tall in his seat. Leo nodded his head. "You were reckless, irresponsible, and nearly got yourselves killed!" He yelled at their silence. Neither one of his officers moved an inch.

Leo huffed and adjusted his jacket. "You also did some damn fine work clearing out the White Fang's illicit activities. Because of you, we have confirmed reports that the illegal activity caused from the corporation has stopped completely. All who are responsible are currently being locked behind bars."

A smug smile came on both Yang and Corsac's faces. "Yeah yeah. We get it. We whooped butt. Can you get to the part where we get our next assignment? I've been sitting in my bed for days!" Leo was taken aback. Nobody had back talked him after his promotion to commissioner, other than that one member of Ozpin's special task force. And that man had been drunk!

"I agree." Corsac added in a calm voice. "We're officers, Leo. Can you conclude your speech so we can get back to doing what's best for city?"

Leo stared at them both in shock. "I… Um… Very well." He pulled out a pair of files form his desk and handed a copy to both of them. "I trust that you don't need me to read these over?"

Yang was already flipping through the pages as he spoke. "Nope! A crazy woman with face tattoos and an addiction to concealer. We're on it!" She called out with confidence. Both her and her partner got up from their seats and made their way to the exit.

Leo remained at his desk while the door closed shut. As the lock clicked, he slid one arm off the table and sighed. As he did, a blue hologram appeared at his desk and a deep male voice spoke out. "Thank you Leo. I trust that they are heading towards the location now?" Leo simply murmured a confirmation. "Good. They will pay for what they did to the White Fang Corporation." There was a pause. The voice at the other end growled. "They will pay for what they did to my daughter." With that, the blue 'G' hovering over the desk disappeared.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Okay, so this one was a challenge from another writer that goes by 'Sungrass' on here. He is a very talented writer, so I would suggest you check him out! I have him listed under my favorite authors, and he has a 'short-story' collection exactly like this one. (Yes, ideas were shamelessly stolen...)**

 **Things I learned from this piece.**

 **1\. Comedy is hard. Writing this turned into a drama about halfway through. Part of me feels like it needed to be re-written, but I decided to keep it because it let this whole piece actually have a story.**

 **2\. It's really easy to force a joke. It is hard to have it come naturally. I deleted a lot of what was written in this because it simply wasn't funny. It's very easy to add quips from the characters, but that doesn't always add to the comedy of the story. In some cases, it hurts it because it feels so forced that the reader just loses interest in the style of humor.**

 **3\. I need to work on my tone of the characters. While writing Corsac, I felt like I understood the character. He is very strict, and only breaks emotionally when his brother is killed. He follows his set plans diligently. Calm, cool, and collected is how he wants his others to perceive him. It allows him to be 'in control' of his situation. Now when it comes to this story, I feel like those motifs are there, but reading it doesn't always seem like Corsac. Based on that, his 'tone' is a bit off. Granted, this is a completely different world with him as a cop, but even still, I think putting him in a slightly different position would've helped. Maybe having Yang become the partner of the Albain's and then having Fennec die. That way you can see Corsac change all the way through.**

 **So lessons were learned! Which is a very good thing. It makes this story feel a bit awkward, but it makes me feel a bit more confident that I can fix some flaws in my writing going forward.**

 **I think I'm going to start adding more 'lessons learned' in the notes of each of these stories. Let me know if you agree/disagree with me on my points. I only got back into writing 2 months ago, it's going to be important for me to learn!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	6. Weiss and Jaune go out for coffee

**Prompt – Jaune and Weiss are out for a coffee not-date in Mistral. She's in the middle of trying to have a serious conversation with him when Neptune bumps into them.**

Jaune had been struck by quite a few surprises over the last twenty-four hours. Between Weiss and Yang showing up from a portal, their sudden questioning of Ozpin, and the fact that Qrow had the ability to turn into, well, a crow, he felt like he was ready for whatever twist the world could throw his way. He had underestimated the world.

This morning, Weiss asked him out for coffee. It wasn't some kind of date, he was very well aware of that. All the same, it didn't stop the question from wavering in his mind the entire walk to the small Mistralian coffee shop. What had changed? Why was the 'ice-queen' asking to speak with _him_ specifically? Even as they sat down at their small table for two, he felt like the whole situation seemed wrong.

The pair both watched as warm liquid poured into the aged white mugs before them. Normally, he would put in a sugar and some cream, but he decided keeping it black might just wake him up from this strange dream. Weiss watched him as they both took their first sip. She had invited him here; it was up to her to break the ice.

"This is a bit stronger than what they make in Atlas. I'm starting to worry that I might have left the rest of the group with an out of control Ruby from the cup I made her this morning." Jaune took note of just how gentle her voice sounded. A stark contrast from what he was used to hearing from her at Beacon.

"I think you'd be surprised. She's changed an awful lot over the past few months." He said with a lighthearted smile. He fully believed it too. He had trained, all of team RNJR had grown, he had new armor… The more he thought on it, the more the smile faded. "Yeah… Everything has changed over the last few months."

Weiss sighed and looked at the reflection in her cup. The longing stare she received from the girl in the brown liquid egged her to push the conversation forward. "I know. It's part of the reason I wanted to meet with you." She brought her blue eyes up to meet his. Her concerned gaze petrifying the boy. "I need your help, Jaune."

Jaune's face twisted at the question. "Why do you need my help?" He paused when he noticed just how harsh the question sounded. "I mean… Of course, I'll help. I just… I guess I never expected that I'd be the one you'd come to." In the back of his mind, he wondered why anyone would come to him for help.

Weiss gave him a simple nod. "You know, I honestly never expected it either." Her voice chuckled a little as she spoke. "You're right though. I shouldn't be asking you for anything. I should be apologizing."

Jaune took another sip from his coffee. His eyes never broke contact with hers as he held the mug up to his face. He had to be dreaming. First, Weiss asked to talk with him alone. Then she asked _him_ for help. Now, she wanted to apologize. He felt like there was something he was missing. Her pleading gaze tried to tell him otherwise. When it refused to go away, he gently set the mug on the table and shook his head. "I don't know what you plan on apologizing for, Weiss. Just know that it's not needed."

"But it is needed!" She said with her voice peaking up. "Talking at dinner yesterday, I realized just how… cold I was at Beacon. How unkind I was to you…" She took a deep breath. "I shouldn't be asking any favors of you. To be honest, I'm surprised you agreed to come talk with me. I just… There's something more important going on and I feel like you're the only one I can talk to about it."

Jaune nodded his head at her. As she spoke, he couldn't help but feel a familiarity in the way she asked. He found a strange comfort in it. "Like I said, you don't have to apologize." His face softened and another small smile began to form. "I guess I'm just a little interested in why you came to me. I would've expected you to go to Ruby or Yang before I ever made the list."

Weiss shook her head. "That's the problem." She said looking back down into the coffee. "It's Yang."

Jaune couldn't help but hear the worry in her voice. It was a nothing more than a small falter. The same one that came when someone felt helpless. It made him feel a small tingle in his spine. "Yang? What's wrong?" He wanted to say it in a way that would comfort the girl, but even he could hear the concern in his voice as he spoke. "How can I help?"

Weiss gave him half a smile. "You're already doing it." She took another sip from her coffee as if to collect her thoughts. "Yang… She's… not herself. Since the moment she found me at Raven's camp, she's been on edge. It just seems like any small thing can set her off." Her eyes went back down into her coffee. Her hands playing with the mug. "This morning, she even snapped at Ruby and I…"

Jaune's head was stirring. Something about all of this was still so wrong. Even then, the fact that Yang would ever snap at Ruby caused his eyes to go wide. "Wait. Why would she yell at the two of you? Everything seemed just fine last night."

"That's why I wanted to come to you." Weiss spoke softly. "Jaune, I don't know what to do…"

 _I don't know what to do…_

His heart sank. Advice. That was all she had come to him for. Advice. The stirring in the back of his head had evolved.

 _I don't know what to do…_

His body felt numb. Advice. She needed his help. She needed _him_.

His chair rocked. It snapped him out of a daze he hadn't realized had fallen over him. He blinked. His vision came back through the fog in his mind. Weiss was staring at him with a concerned look. How long had he been like this? His chair rocked a second time. He hadn't even registered the man behind him.

"I'm sorry about that! I didn't see you… Wait. Jaune? Weiss?"

Weiss' eyes finally fell off Jaune. He watched them as they went from concerned to a temporary state of shock. "Neptune?!"

"Wow! It really is you two!" The boy took a minute to shift to the side of the table. He gave Weiss a smile. "Not that I could ever forget you."

Weiss huffed. "I'm glad to see that you haven't changed…" She murmured back.

The boy turned his attention towards Jaune as if to pass off the comment. "And Jaune! How's it goin' buddy?"

Jaune's eyes met Neptune's dark blue gaze. His weak body took its time following suit. "Hey Neptune." He replied with a weak voice. "I was actually just about to leave." He turned his face to Weiss. "My stomach isn't feeling the best. I guess this coffee isn't sitting too well." He pushed the mug a bit forward to the center of the table. He could see Weiss didn't believe him. It didn't matter. He wasn't ready.

Neptune shook his head. "Yeah, I feel ya. Mistral coffee takes a bit to get used to." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a few lien. "Here. You get some rest. This one's on me."

Jaune gave him another weak smile and slid the chair back from the table. He could feel Weiss' gaze over his every move. "Thanks Neptune." He sat up from the seat and gestured for the boy to take his place. "You two catch up. I'll want to hear all about it later."

Neptune didn't hesitate to take over. "Thanks Jaune! You feel better buddy." Once seated, he turned his attention back to Weiss. "I can't believe you're both in Mistral! This is great! Soon we can meet up with Sun and Blake and…"

Weiss' attention finally broke away from Jaune. "Wait. Did you say Blake was coming to Mistral?"

Neptune gave her a quick nod. "Yep! Well, if Sun's mission goes well that is!"

Jaune saw the smile creep on Weiss' face. Maybe information on Blake's return would be just what she needed to help Yang. Good. Whatever advice Weiss needed, he was sure Neptune could help her.

With their attention on each other, he turned towards the exit. He took no more than a step towards it when he felt something grab his hand. His body froze at the feeling. His eyes looked down at the small pale hand holding his. He could hardly feel the tight squeeze it tried to give him, but it was just enough. Weiss didn't want to hurt him. She just wanted to make sure he knew she was there.

He turned his head slightly towards the girl. He didn't want her to see his whole face. Not when his eyes were going to be filled with tears. He was expecting some sort of concern. Some sort of sadness. Instead, her face held a smile. He could almost feel one on his own face at the sight. The hand holding his gave one more tight squeeze before letting go. He was sad to feel it release, but the trace of warmth it left was all he needed.

He took his next step towards the exit. His thumb feeling the foreign warmth on his fingers. The numbness of his body lifted slightly as he did. The world was full of surprises. At least today's had brought him a new friend.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **So this prompt was given to me by the Writing Prompt Wednesday Master of Ceremonies, Shandromand. Shand is another very talented writer who does a lot for the RWBY fanfiction community so check them out on here under the username, well, Shandromand.**

 **Now, about this entry. So we have Weiss and Jaune getting coffee together to catch-up a bit. Or at least, that's how it seems. I tried to really work on tone this time around by focusing in on how Jaune reacts to everything that comes before him.**

 **So to start, we see Jaune questioning everything that's going on. Why does Weiss suddenly want to spend time with him? It's a very real question when all she used to do was deny him during Beacon.**

 **Next, Weiss begins to ask for help. Now I wanted to make Jaune start to feel strange about her asking, but not 100% understand why. The big reason is that I wanted him to start to flash back to when Pyrrha asked him for advice about becoming a Spring Maiden. It's exactly why Weiss says 'You're already doing it'. I wanted to make Jaune flash back to that moment where he had one of his last ever 'heart to heart' conversations with Pyrrha.**

 **So then it finally strikes him. 'I don't know what to do' is the exact thing that Pyrrha says when she starts to spiral in front of Jaune in the episode. Here, I wanted Jaune to suddenly remember that, and have it hit him rather hard. So he zones out while still looking at Weiss, but thinking of Pyrrha. However, I never mention Pyrrha's name. All of this is happening in Jaune's head so I want everything to carry weight. Every time Pyrrha comes up in the story, Jaune snaps a little. Here, he is trying to keep his composure in front of Weiss, so her name never gets mentioned. I wanted to have it be the one thing that stops him from breaking down in front of Weiss.**

 **So now we move to Neptune's introduction. He breaks Jaune out of his daze and butts into the conversation. However, he has good news! He is going to tell Weiss all about Blake. This ties with canon because Weiss is then able to have her talk with Yang about Blake coming back. In the show, she seems very confident of it happening. Now, being confident in her friend to eventually meet back up with them is a normal thing. However, she has confidence that she will meet up with them at some point, even when they are on a different continent. I was hoping to have this non-canon moment tie in with that a little bit.**

 **All the same, the tone is supposed to feel sort of shaky here. Weiss is now torn between helping Jaune who is visibly shaken, and talking with Neptune who has information that she was seeking out in the first place. In Jaune's head, he just wants to get out of there. Weiss takes the time to stop him. She knows he's uncomfortable, so she grabs his hand to let him know she's there with him. With that gesture, I was hoping to have it feel like Weiss is literally reaching out to him in his time of need. He still wants to leave, so she lets him. However, it's just enough to help him through the time he wants to spend alone.**

 **All in all, I tried to make it shift from an awkward meeting, to a desperate conversation, to a feeling of not knowing what to do next. While I don't think it's perfect, this entry did a much better job of keeping the tone of the story straight all the way through as opposed to having jarring starts and stops in conversation. Granted, it was meant to be more serious this time around, but it does make the story feel a bit more complete in the end.**

 **Let me know if you like my write ups! I probably won't make them nearly this long every time, I just felt like it might add a bit more to the short story.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	7. Jaune and the Infamous Pyrrha Plushie

**WPW65 Prompt – Write about whatever you want to, but it must include the infamous Pyrrha Plushie in some way.**

* * *

 **A/N - This is a direct follow up to the 'Jaune and Weiss go on a non-date for coffee' prompt.**

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the city of Mistral. The sunshine enveloped the city in a blanket of warmth that seemed to call out to every man, woman and child. It left every corner shop, stall, and restaurant open for the boisterous crowds that filled the streets. The sounds of people laughing, and children playing games, blended into a low rumble that surrounded everything in the open air.

It was exhausting.

Jaune Arc trudged through the streets. The low rumble of the happiness and comradery of the people sounded like grinding steel in his ears. Normally, this kind of environment would've been manageable. Today he was having no such relief. Today, he had been reminded of Pyrrha.

Her name brought back the pain. He knew Weiss hadn't meant to do it. She was just looking for help of her own. That didn't stop his mind from covering the world in a haze. He balled his hands into a fist inside his pockets. The numbness he felt was different from when he left the coffee shop. In that moment, he had felt alone. Now his emotionally battered body was fighting a new battle.

The giant crowds in the streets shifted out of his way. The way his body slouched forward with each step seemed to remind them of someone with a disease. They weren't wrong. He was sick to his stomach. Each step closer towards his destination only added to the ever-growing lump that lived there.

His eyes trailed through the dirt and stone on the ground. The amount of other people in the corner of his vision had been slowly dwindling. He had to be getting close. His eyes lifted just barely. A stone step appeared before him as he looked up. The knot in his stomach gave one more giant lurch. His body shook and the heavy wooden door at the end of the stone joined his vision.

One balled hand pulled out of his pocket. Even in its curled state, he could feel it shaking. The trembling hand opened slowly to reveal a crumpled up piece of paper. He hadn't meant to do it. It had just been a victim of his need to hold onto something. He unfolded the edges and read the contents for what had to be the twentieth time. 'Nikos Residence – South Commercial District. Building 108.'

He took his eyes off the paper and matched the number to that of the door before him. The paper crumpled once again. He hadn't meant to, but another lurch in his stomach had made it happen involuntarily. He did his best to fit the paper back into his pocket. His mind tried to fight him. It tried to tell him to leave. His shaking body fought against it and brought his fist to the door.

 _NCK NCK NCK_

The first collided with the hard wood three times. His eyes flew back to the stone slab before the door. The sounds of the city washed away. Now, there was only silence. He waited there, petrified for what might happen next. He wasn't sure if he'd even be able to speak like this. The way his stomach turned, he was afraid he might just throw up instead. His waiting led to no answer.

 _NCK NCK NCK_

Three more knocks rang out. He hadn't even recognized that it was his hand that made the noise. The traitorous appendage retreated down to his pocket and the dreaded wait started all over again. His body shook once more, but his muscles hadn't moved. In his petrified state, he hadn't even realized the small tug on the end of his hoodie.

His body whirled around to meet the culprit, but when he turned, there was no one in sight. His eyes darted to find the source.

"Excuse me, Mister." A small voice called out.

His eyes locked on to the voice. He was surprised that he almost had to look straight down to find it. Before him, a little girl stood bashfully. Her pale skin and blue eyes were the first thing to catch his vision, only to be followed by the long red hair in a ponytail that ran to her shoulders.

"H…Hello there." He stammered. The tension in his body trying to escape through his voice.

"Hello! I wanted to tell you that the Nikos' aren't home. They've been gone awhile!" The little girl said in a cheery voice. "They're huntsmen! Just like Pyrrha!"

Jaune's heart sank. "Yeah… I was hoping to talk with them."

The little girl smiled continued to beam. "Oh, don't worry! I'm sure they'll be back soon!" Her small body seemed to bounce as she spoke. "Especially Pyrrha! She's so awesome!"

Jaune's felt his body tremble. His fingernails dug into his palms in a weak attempt to try to compose himself in front of the girl. "O…Oh yeah? And how d…do you know Pyrrha?"

The girl bounced around. "Are you kidding me? Everyone knows Pyrrha! I've watched her in every fight! The way she jumps around and beats up all those big guys… She's just so cool!" Her excitement slowed when the boy turned away from her. She saw him draw his sleeve up to his face for just a moment before turning back to face her. "Mister… You look familiar… How do you know Pyrrha?"

Jaune's head swam through the hundreds of answers he could give the girl. How did he know Pyrrha? She was his friend, partner, teammate, confident, first kiss… She _was_. He looked into the girls twinkling eyes and gave his best fake smile. "She's my friend. We went to school together…"

The girl lit up. "I knew I've seen you before! You're her partner! You're Jaune Arc!" Her body seemed to shake with excitement. "This is so cool! Team JNPR is so cool!"

"Yeah… Cool…" He murmured. They had been on every screen in the kingdoms during the Vytal Festival. Surely, the girl must have seen one of their matches.

The girl spun around and reached into the small bag that hung against her back. "I have something for you, Jaune!" She said as her hand searched through its contents. He didn't say anything. The shock of the whole situation eating at him as the girl found what she was looking for. She jumped in place and held the gift out in front of her with arms extended.

It was a doll. From the looks of things, it was hand sewn together. The arms were wide, it's neck was think, and the way it smiled didn't reflect any form of happiness that had tried to force itself on its face.

Jaune was mesmerized by it. He reached out with shaky hands and gently took it from the girl. Her smile only growing as he accepted the gift. "It's Pyrrha! I made it myself!" She clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs in a circle. "It's not as pretty as Pyrrha is, but it was the first time I ever tried to sew! Mom even helped me make it!"

Jaune looked at the dolls large green eyes. To his surprise, the lump in his stomach disappeared. All the haze he felt on his journey to meet Pyrrha's parents fell from his mind. The doll, and the small girl that gave it to him, becoming the only thing his mind could grasp.

He pulled the doll into his chest. His eyes falling to meet the matching pair of blue before him. With the haze cleared, he noticed that the girl's pale skin and pulled back hair reminded him of his partner. The features on her face resembled her closely; if not for the bright blue eyes that seemed to twinkle the more he stared at them.

This time he couldn't control himself. A small sniffle escaped his nose, and a few tears fell from his eyes. The girl looked concerned, but his smile washed it all away. "Thank you." He said softly to her. He pulled the doll from his chest and inspected it once more. "This was the first doll you ever made?" He said lightly while he ran his fingers over the cotton armor.

She nodded her head. "Uh huh… Do you like it?"

Jaune pulled the doll down so he could stare right into the girl's eyes. "I love it." He opened his arms up and the girl landed into his chest with a thud. He wrapped his arms gently around her. "I'll take it with me wherever I go." He said in a light voice before letting go from the embrace.

The girl jumped in place and picked up her bag that had fallen to the ground. When it was over her back, she turned back to the boy with a devious smile. "You better keep that promise! If you don't, I'll find you when I become a huntress!" Jaune made to say something back, but the girl just laughed and waved at him. To his surprise, he found himself waving back as she started skipping away.

He watched her as she rounded a corner. Her red ponytail bobbing up and down as she disappeared. It was only when she left that he looked at the doll once more. It's big green eyes looked back into his. A few tears escaped him as he brought it to his chest once more. He would keep his word. He would cherish it always. Just like he would always cherish the day he met the small girl that could have been theirs.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone,**

 **So with this entry we were able to continue on from the coffee chat with Jaune and Weiss, and see what exactly Jaune had planned to do to calm himself.**

 **I went into this one trying to find s** _ome_ **way to not have it be a comedy considering I've already wrote a few of those. In the end, I really liked how this one turned out! It stayed emotional, despite having to include** _THE GREAT ONE_ **! (If you don't know what the great one is, check the RT merchandise store, or google the RT Pyrrha Plushie. You'll understand why this was a selected prompt when you see it.)**

* * *

 **In other new... I finally released ' _The Other Side of the Coin_ '! This is going to be my next take on a complete fanfiction. This time regarding Penny and her backstory! The main thought process that I had going into it was "Penny has the ability to use aura... By Pyrrha's definition, that must mean she has a soul!" Based on that, I decided that Atlas must have been up to some very shady business when they created her. Nobody can create a soul, but that aura transfer machine might be able to keep one going...**

 **At this time, there is only one chapter available. It mainly focuses on the backstory of the soul in question. That being said, I hope to have a few chapters up in the next few weeks. There, I plan to dive into Penny, Professor Paulindina, and Ironwood very quickly.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	8. Team STRQ's Start

Prompt – STRQ's first year at Beacon, staring from the day they all met for the first time.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **So this prompt was basically asking for a full story of team STRQ. Because of how much writing that would take, I opted to write about their first day at Beacon, including initiation.**

 **What I submitted is straight from 'The Diary of Tai', but this time it isn't in a journal style. It is in a fully fleshed out story. So hopefully it'll still feel like a new take on team STRQ for those that have read that story from me.**

 **Another quick note. Every line break in this story is meant to be a divider when either 1. Skipping over some time. or 2. Changing character perspectives. Normally I don't like to do that too often, but this story got so long and I was hoping to keep it to only one chapter on here.**

* * *

The first arrival at Beacon. Truly, it was a sight to behold. So many faces full of excitement and wonder filling up the courtyard in moments to take in their new school in awe. Many of the teachers couldn't fend off the smile that wanted to creep up their face. Oh, to be young again…

From up in his tower, Ozpin took note of each student as they made their way out of the bullhead. Compared to the teachers below, few of the students were able to make him raise more than an eyebrow as they took their first steps onto the campus. Yet, there were some. He brought up his scroll and began swiping through some of the names and faces on its screen. Three already held a special note next to their image. A few moments passed before the scroll lowered and eyes began scanning the courtyard. Three was a good start. However, three did not a 'team' make.

His selected three were easy to find. Black, red, and white. They were prominent colors to be sure, but stood out firmly when they were by themselves. The white cloak resting itself against a tree had been his first find as it had during the student screening process. The pair that were spotted seconds later were not too far away. Yes, he had his three. Now he simply needed to watch and see who would claim the fourth.

* * *

Taiyang Xiao Long stepped out of the bullhead with vigor. A light jog took him to the center of the courtyard before the rest of the students could make their way over. He took his moment in front of everybody to take in Beacon. The stories he had heard from others still didn't do it justice. They called it a fortress, a castle, but all he could see in the gigantic school was a new home.

As the rest of the students started to surround him to take their turn with the view, he turned to face the crowd. A smirk broke on the boy's face as he began to take in an even more vibrant sight. His eyes glistened as each of the young huntresses made their way to his side. "Enjoying the view, ladies?" He called out teasingly. A few smiles flashed his way, and much to his pleasure, he even caught a few winks.

Tai couldn't help but laugh to himself. Yes, Beacon was a good choice for him. The small combat schools were fun, but he was the real deal. A true huntsman in the making. Beacon was where a man of his talents belonged. He gave his ego one more pat on the shoulder as he turned back towards the school and the crowd now standing before it. Yeah, he was going to run this place.

His eyes danced their way around the courtyard. He wanted to see ever last bit of the school that would one day say it had the honor of having Taiyang Xiao Long study in its halls. It wasn't until they picked up a hint of movement by some of the trees that they finally stopped. He squinted at the suspect area. It was a distance away, but even at length he found the slightest bit of red hanging just around one of the trees. His eyes widened. The way the color radiated around the tree, it could only be one thing. Red meant death. Red meant malice. Red meant… Holy shit.

The red figure strode its way around the tree trunk. Tai couldn't be helped. His eyes were already transfixed to the woman it belonged to. They way her hips swayed with each and every step ate his attention, only for it to be driven widely to the way she threw her beautiful black hair over her shoulder. The boy didn't even realize he had taken a step closer towards her direction. Another step towards the pale white skin that reflected the aura of black and red from her dress. Just one step closer towards that short skirt…

"What do you want?"

The question was asked so harshly it snapped Tai out of his trance. His eyes moved from the girl's beauty, and straight to her blazing red eyes. He was so close to her now. Just an arm's reach from touching her. He froze. What was he doing so close to her? He panicked. His blue irises shook under her glare. He had to play it cool. Just like he always had. He had to say something! Anything!

"You're pretty."

The red eyes sparked. It was the last bit of color he saw before the world went dark.

* * *

It took a few minutes, but his eyes finally opened up to the world once again. Tai's vision was still blurry, but the sounds of a boy sniggering easily made its way to his ears. Each laugh racked through his dizzy brain. He already hated whoever the noises belonged too. But then, there was a soft voice that rang out over the sounds of laughter.

"Are… Are you okay?"

It was such a sweet voice. So soft that it soothed the pain that covered the right side of Tai's face. His eyes tried to adjust again, this time picking up even more white than before. The added bit of consciousness brought more feeling back. He was in a lot of pain, but there was a hand covering the damage. Its gentle touch taking away the hurt and embarrassment of all the recent events.

Tai's eyes strained. He needed to know who could be doing this to him. All he could make out was hints of red surrounded by a stark white. In the middle of the pale figure, small pools of silver shone back at him. He smiled lazily. The clouds in his head started to lift as the figure became more and more clear.

"You took a nasty hit from that girl." The voice spoke in its wonderfully soft tone. "I was napping, but came over the second I heard you fall. I hope you're alright…"

Tai's smile widened a bit further. "You… You came to help me?" His voice barely managed to whisper out.

He could see the red of the girls lips smile. "Yes I did. You're gonna be okay!"

Tai nodded his head as her eyes came fully into focus. They locked with his and the haze in his mind slowly pushed back. "Now I will be…" He whispered out to her. "I got saved by an angel…"

The silver-eyed girl's cheeks went red. He felt her hand leave the sore bruise over his eye. Only for it to return as a fist straight to his nose. His head rolled back against the pavers of the courtyard. The darkness of unconsciousness quickly surrounding his vision. The last thing he heard was the roaring laughter of some asshole who did nothing but watch.

* * *

Ozpin took a sip from his mug. He turned away from the glass windows of his office and towards the desk facing away from the courtyard. He placed the mug gently against the wooden desk and picked up the scroll that lay there. A few faces flashed against the screen, only for one to be selected. The face of the blond boy grew, and a new note was added next to his name. "Taiyang Xiao Long. He'll do quite nicely."

* * *

Tai's next rise from unconsciousness was just as slow and painful as the first. This time there was no soft hand holding the damage. The gut wrenching feeling of having failed breaking the ice twice began to hurt just as much as, what he assumed to be, his broken nose and black eye. As the world went back to having some sort of clarity, he started to take in his new location. White walls, occasional lights flashing from screens that surrounded him, and… bedsheets.

He groaned. The first years had been on campus for no more than an hour and he had already found his way to the infirmary. His thoughts trailed back to the view of Beacon, of how he planned to take over the school just as he had in those before it. Then he thought on the two girls that he had very briefly met. Both with pale skin and dark hair. Both modeling vibrant reds, blacks, and whites. One with vicious red eyes. The other with soft silver. They were both so beautiful.

The pain in his face rang out again. He had ruined his shot with both of them. That much was certain. If the plan to be the face of the school was going to come to fruition, he had a lot of ground to cover. Tai sat up from the comfort of the bed. He heard a voice call out to him to stay put. At that, he hopped out of the bed and made his way towards the door. Listening to teachers was never really his thing anyway.

* * *

Tai was lost. He ran through twisted halls that all looked the same searching for somebody, anybody that could help him find his way. Maybe he should have stopped to listen to what the nurse had to say… He scoffed. No. He would find everyone else. They were a big group. Surely they wouldn't be too hard to find.

As he rounded a corner, he came face to face with a set of overly large wooden doors. Maybe everyone was through there? He shoved them open, only to find that they were light for their size. The force he used flung the doors open, causing them to slam into the walls on the other side.

The entirety of the first year class turned to stare at the intruder. Tai's eyes caught every single one of the looks. He had found them. It just so happened he had found Ozpin too. Right in the middle of a speech to the class. Tai brought a hand up to his mouth and coughed lightly to break the silence. "Sorry I'm late Professor! Ya'know, this place is a lot bigger than it looks!" In his head he called himself an idiot for the poor excuse.

Ozpin nodded his head at the boy. "Why yes it is Mister Xiao Long. Now, if you'd excuse me, I'd like to get back to the task at hand." He said pointing towards the large crowd.

Tai nodded his head a bit more frantically than he would have liked. "Sure thing Professor!" He leaned up against a nearby wall and all the students eyes moved back to the Professor. With it, his thoughts ran again. He bought it! Yes! Nailed it!

Ozpin took a sip of coffee. His fourth really was going to be an interesting fit… Pushing that thought aside, he turned his attention back to his students.

From the stage he could see that every one of their eyes were locked onto him and whatever trivial thing he was going to say to greet them to the school. He smirked. Students… No matter how many times he met a new group of them, they were always the same. "Good morning everyone. I expect your travel to Beacon went well." He said it with a strict undertone. He had his four picked out. It was time to get to business. At the nods of some of the students, he continued. "Excellent. If everyone is well rested, then I don't see why we should have to wait around." He gestured towards the bullheads just outside.

The students were stunned. Each one of them had expected some sort of welcome. They were being sent out already? Some of their heads turned to the friends that they had just gotten acquainted with. Ozpin could see the concern in their eyes. "Are you not prepared to become huntsmen and huntresses? I can assure you, no trained graduate of this academy will not be ready for anything this world has in store for them." He looked over at the teachers who simply nodded their heads. "It is our job to shape you into the warriors that you will need to be in order to thrive against the enemies this would will throw your way."

He took a small sip of coffee to collect himself when another voice called out through the crowd. "Well if you want us to get ready, let's get on with it. What's the mission?" The room went silent. All eyes turned to the tall boy in white. Many of the eyes tried to meet his, but a quick glare of red forced them back towards the headmaster in a panic.

Ozpin hid a smile and took time to enjoy his coffee before answering the boy. "Mister Branwen, today's 'mission' as you call it is going to take place in the forest of Forever Fall." He gestured his cane towards its general direction. "There, you will be tasked with finding an abandoned campsite. On the way, you may encounter many enemies. It is not uncommon for Grimm of various species to call the forest home. If you can succeed in making it to the site, you are to take one of the items placed there and return it to a pickup location." His eyes glanced over the crowd and then back to Qrow. "Is that understood?"

Qrow simply nodded his head and began walking towards the door. The crowds of students watched as another girl in red went to join him. Some murmuring began to fill the room. Eyes moved back to Ozpin to see his reaction to their boldness. They were almost stunned to see him smiling.

* * *

Forever Fall was beautiful. Leaves of red, orange and yellow fell to the forest's floor in a blanket. Tai stared at it all in amazement. He had seen fall before, but the sheer amount of colorful leaves flying through the air was a new experience entirely. From his spot by the bullhead doors, he could see students in the other bullheads glancing out at the scenery the same way.

He felt a body bump into him, reminding him that while it was beautiful, there was still a mission to do. A voice rang out through the interior of the cramped space, but Tai recognized the voice as the one just to his side. "We have arrived at our drop-off zone." Ozpin's voice called out. "Before we continue with the initiation, I must add one final rule." While Tai's continued to take in the scenery, the sound of another rule caught his ears. Great. What was this one going to be?

"As a part of initiation, all students will be paired up with a partner." Tai thought about that for a second. Who would he even want to partner up with? Or, more accurately, who would want to pair up with him? So far he had made a fool of himself three times, and they weren't even through their first day! "The partner selection process will not be decided by you alone. In fact, as you are released into the forest, the first person you come into contact with will be your partner for the rest of your time here at Beacon."

Tai's head spun. For the rest of the time AT BEACON? That was years! How was he supposed to find somebody that he didn't know a thing about, and become their partner until they graduated? During his panic, another student asked a question in a lovely soft voice. "Professor… If you don't mind me asking… What did you mean by 'release' us into the forest?"

Tai felt a poke at his back. Nothing more than a gentle push. Ozpin's voice called out again. "Why Miss Rose, I meant exactly that!" Tai's head turned in a brash attempt to face the professor. The man was already taking another sip out of his coffee. His cane pinned against Tai's back. Tai felt a push, and his eyes went wide.

As Tai was forced out of the bullhead, all he could think of was the way he would get back at Ozpin and his shit-eating grin.

* * *

All throughout Forever Fall, the forest floor was filled with the beautiful autumn leaves. It was what Tai seemed to love most about the place. Not the view. Not the colors. Just the comfortable blanket that he lay in. He looked up at the tree that had broken his fall, and the many twigs and branches that surrounded him on the ground. Yes, the blanket was quite lovely this time of year.

The events of falling out of the bullhead were a bit fuzzy. Being knocked out twice, or maybe it was three times now, was doing quite the number on his head. All the same, recalling everything did send a ping of urgency to move on with the task ahead. He had to make it to the campsite and pick up whatever item Ozpin head left there. A simple task, had his body not been so tired from the crash landing.

With a deep breath, he forced himself up to a stand. He brushed some leaves off his clothes, and then pulled a twig out of his shoulder spaulder. His hands reached high above him to stretch while his eyes looked around for clues as to which direction he should be heading. Based on the moss on some of the trees, he picked one and ran off.

After a sprint towards what he felt was his target, Tai came across a clearing in the tress. He slowed down to take in the strange place. It was if Remnant had forgotten that a forest was supposed to exist here, and instead set up a field. He dropped down to one knee to take a rest from his constant running. He ran his hands through the grass. Pulling up some of it to pass the time. His mind began to drift, until he heard a crunch.

His eyes shot up to see what had created the sound. Only to see red eyes poking through the entrance of the tree-line. He jumped to his feet, only to hear a second, and a third crunch around him. While keeping his attention towards the first set of red, his eyes raced around his sides. He was surrounded. From what he could see, there were three Grimm simply waiting to make a move.

The boy just smirked. "Bring it on!" He called out confidently. First impressions hadn't gone over well. He would take that out on whatever poor Grimm had decided to rain on his increasingly bad day. The shout triggered the first Grimm to charge forward. A mighty ursa with spikes running down with its spine. Tai dug his foot into the ground and charged at it. He could hear the other two running at him from the sides as he ran. They would come next. He would have to fight them one by one.

As they came into no more than fifteen feet from each other, the initial ursa sprung to its feet. Its front claws rose high in the air as if to crush Tai on the spot. He dove at the ursa's hind legs and delivered a blow straight to its stomach. The best staggered from the blow, only to have its head met with a boot. The ursa's neck snapped as Tai landed safely on the ground.

The next two moved at him just as quickly as the first. With ursa this size he wouldn't stand a chance to take two at the same time. But what if he didn't have to? His smirk came back to life as he raced between the two ursa. Both of them reared upwards to strike just the like first. This time, Tai jumped straight at one of the ursa's feet. The punch delivered to its knee was followed by an agonizing roar. The ursa toppled forward, only to slash the second beast straight across its chest.

Tai stood up and watched as the creatures began to disappear into black smoke. He pumped a fist into the air. "That's what I thought!" He called out. During his moment of celebration, he almost thought he heard one of the dead Grimm growl. He turned to face the noise, only to meet a paw. The force from the blow launched Tai towards the tree-line. He braced for an impact against the hard wood, and felt the collision. The boy groaned in pain, and his aura flickered. Truthfully, he thought the trees would have hurt more. What he had crashed into almost felt soft. He reached for his head, only to hear the 'tree' groan.

The sudden noise caused Tai to fly to his feet. His head turned to see what exactly it was he had crashed into, only to meet a familiar red. Raven planted her fist into the soil and pushed herself onto her feet. Her eyes locked onto Tai's with murderous intent. Her hand reaching for her sword as her glare pressed fear into Tai.

All of the pain left him. All that he could feel was terror as he watched her slowly draw her blade out of its hilt. He listened as the steel slowly dragged across the metal it had been incased in. He saw her feet plant themselves into one of action, and he braced for whatever pain would come from her killing blow.

The sword swung, and a deep growl roared throughout the forest. The ursa Raven struck fell to the ground in a heap. Its head following its body shortly after. Tai opened one eye and looked around. He was still alive! She hadn't killed him! He turned to face the girl, only to be met by the same psychotic glare. "YOU are not my partner." It was all she said before her sword slid back into its sheathe and her legs began to take her as far away from Tai as she could muster.

* * *

Raven fumed as she strode away from the blond fool. She heard the rules that Ozpin had given. They held little meaning to the demands of the tribe. Qrow was her partner. It was decided before she had ever stepped foot inside the school.

The sounds of cracking twigs behind her fueled her rage towards the situation. "Get away from me!" She felt herself spit out the words. Still, the boy followed. She felt her temper start to bubble over.

"Look, I get it." The boy finally spoke. "You're pissed that you ended up with me of all people as a partner." He sighed for a second when he saw her shoulders tense up from the word. "I saw you during Ozpin's speech. I know you were hoping to have your boyfriend as a partner."

Raven ceased all movement. Her hand instantly gripping her sword. Had he just insinuated that Qrow… and her... Her eyes flared red. Her sword sailed through the air, directly at the boy's neck. She watched her throw heading directly at its target, only to miss him by mere inches. Tai's body froze as the sword embedded itself in the tree behind him. The blade shot splinters of wood in all directions as it buried itself deep into the trunk.

Tai stared at her in terror. The blade practically shaving his neck as he shook where he stood. She wanted to kill him. She had every intension of that throw ending his life. By the grace of the gods, she had missed.

Laughter filled the air. It roared throughout their portion of the forest. Only to stop as an approaching figure spoke. "Jeez, sis. You almost killed your partner already!" He casually walked up to Raven's side as her hand shook in anger. "Lucky I'm around, huh?" Her hand clenched into a fist and threw itself at the boy's face, only for him to duck underneath it. Another laugh rang out as he moved back to lean against a tree. Behind it, a white hooded figure poked out. Raven and Tai had completely missed her arrival during Qrow's outburst.

Raven glared at her brother, and then towards his new partner. "Qrow. You were supposed to find me." She said with venom.

Qrow simply raised a hand and pointed over to Tai who was still frozen with Raven's sword inches from his neck. "Yeah. You were supposed to find me too." He chuckled a bit more as he got a better look at Tai's predicament. "I just didn't expect you to end up with the guy I had to carry to the infirmary this morning."

Raven's attention went back to the blond, and then to her sword. She strode forward and placed her hand on its grip. Her eyes locked with Tai's once more. "Next time you won't have to take him there." Her hand swung out, splitting the trunk effortlessly across the blade. She turned to face her brother as the tree crashed to the ground behind Tai.

Tai received her message. She had spared him once. It wouldn't be happening again.

* * *

The path to the campsite was littered with Grimm. Raven, Summer, and Qrow watched as more and more of the creatures disappeared into black smoke before them. Nearly 200 feet ahead was Tai. Still shaken from the situation with Raven, he opted to stay as far from them as he could. Even if it meant killing every last Grimm that got in his way.

"He doesn't seem like a bad person." The soft voice of Summer let out.

Qrow glanced at the short girl over his shoulder. "You didn't seem to think that this morning."

Summer brought a hand to her mouth and gave a light chuckle. "I don't know… I actually thought it was kind of sweet." She laughed a little more. "I didn't mean to punch him. It was just so sudden, and I got embarrassed…"

Qrow snorted. "You were so embarrassed that you broke his nose?"

Summer gasped and her face went pale. "I broke his nose!?" Her eyes shook as she looked in Tai's direction. "I didn't mean it! Do you think he hates me!?" She pulled her hood over her head to shield herself from embarrassment and resentment. "Oh no…"

Qrow shook his head while chuckling and pointed at the disappearing Grimm. "I'd say he's just fine." In the distance, he saw something that resembled cloth instead of bark. "It looks like he knows where he's going too."

After a few minutes of walking, the trio reached Tai at the edge of the abandoned campsite. The boy was breathing heavily from his never-ending battle with anything that so much as looked in his direction. When the others arrived, he brought his hand up and pointed towards the center of the tents. He didn't speak a word, but the pile of colorful bandanas next to an old fire pit spoke for him. Raven and Qrow began digging through the colorful garments until they both found a pair of matching red. They inspected each other's to ensure that they were perfect matches before Qrow pocketed his, and Raven stung hers up in her hair like a trophy to be presented to the world.

Meanwhile, Summer timidly moved to Tai's side. The boy took a deep breath as he leaned against one of the tents. "You aren't here to put me out of my misery are you?"

The girl flinched. Did he really think she meant to hurt him? Her eyes traced the bruising on the sides of his nose. Damage that his aura had yet to heal from her violence. A tear formed on the side of her eye, and she brought a hand down to the armor on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." She said with a squeaky voice.

Tai was taken aback. He hadn't expected any form of apology. Honestly, he felt like he should be apologizing to her for introducing himself as a Casanova. His eyes ran up the arm on his shoulder to meet hers. They really were pretty eyes. The silver stared at him looking for some sort of affirmation that everything was going to be okay. It melted his heart. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just fine." He said trying to play it cool. "Don't you worry about me. I don't know what I'd do if I found out you got hurt because you were thinking about me too much."

The girl's eyes ceased watering. Knowing that she hadn't made an enemy on her first day was a bigger relief than she could've imagined. Still, she could tell that the boy was lying to her. It was clear that he was worn out from all the fighting. She would have said something had he not been so confident. He had to be somewhat okay. He wouldn't be flirting all over again if he wasn't. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a metal flask. "I'd imagine it would be hard to get hurt with you leading the way. You must be thirsty."

Tai took the flask and inspected it. It was nothing more than a silver metal container with a leather grip. It almost looked like someone was supposed to etch some sort of design on it to stop it from being so plain. "I didn't take you as one to be drinking in the battlefield." He said teasingly. Summer brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled. Seeing the smile on her face, he tipped the flask to his mouth and let the liquid cool his throat. After a big gulp, he handed it back to her. "Thank you for that… Wait. I never actually got your name!"

"I believe it was angel?" She said teasing him back. A flustered Tai went to respond, but was cut off by the girl holding out her hand. "My name is Summer Rose." She said with a glowing smile.

Tai mulled the name over in his head. "Summer, huh? It's a pretty name!" He eyed the girl as she tried to hide the small blush on her face. "The name's Tai. Taiyang Xiao Long to be exact!"

His hand firmly grasped hers. "Well it is wonderful to meet you Tai."

* * *

The trip to the evacuation zone didn't take long for the group. Tai had wanted to scout ahead, but Qrow didn't allow it. He mentioned something about wanting to have some sort of fun while they were on the trip. At the sight of his scythe, Tai was inclined to let him do as he pleased.

Ozpin took notice of the group as they made their way out of the tree-line. A quick glance at his watch told him that they had made it through the entire forest in just under two hours. Impressive. He was almost worried that pushing Tai out of the bullhead where he saw Raven getting ready to jump wasn't going to give the desired results.

He nodded his head and asked the pilot to start preparing the machine for the ride home. The engines whirled up, and Ozpin took his seat next to where the other four would take their place. Raven was the first to enter, quickly followed by Qrow. They both sat down and strapped themselves in as Summer made her way inside. Tai went to step up, but he stopped himself before finishing his step in. His eyes went wide, and he began sprinting towards the forest.

Raven shook her head as he sprinted away. "What is that idiot doing now?"

* * *

Tai ducked through the branches of the forest once again. The others might not have heard the screams from inside the roaring bullhead, but he was sure they were there. His eyes darted around to find the source, only to hear another ear piercing screech.

"Dammit, where are they?" He started muttering to himself in a panic. "I'm here! Where are you!?" He tried calling out.

He was answered by a terrifying roar.

Tai stopped in his tracks. Around the trees in front of him were two students. One laying face down in the grass, the other with his back against a tree. Standing over them was the largest ursa he had ever seen.

The beast let out another roar and brought a paw up into the air. The boy laying against the tree was petrified. His unconscious partner had already experienced the force of the creature. There was no way he would be able to defend himself against the blow.

The paw swung down, and the beast let out a roar. Tai slammed against the dirt. His punch to the creatures arm had stopped it from hitting the student, but it wasn't enough to stop the sheer force from its attack. He rolled to his feet as quickly as he could, but he could feel his aura fading. The beast turned its fierce red eyes towards him. If anything, all he had managed to do was piss it off.

The ursa dug its feet into the ground. Its front paw scraped at the dirt before it charged forward with another fierce growl. Tai tried to take cover behind some nearby tress, but they weren't enough to stop it. The beast crashed into the wood. Splinters rained down over top of him, and the bone plated head of the ursa drove itself into his stomach. The strength of the blow flung Tai towards another nearby tree. His back collided with the hard wood, and his body limply fell forward.

He groaned as his aura shattered. His exhausted body couldn't take any more. All he could do was watch as the oversized Grimm stalked forward. It bared its teeth at him while its eyes locked onto his head. He saw its shoulders hunch back in preparation to strike. Tai shut his eyes and turned his head to the side as if the beast would magically disappear.

The attack never came. He propped one eye open to watch as the beast toppled over at his feet. Tai stared in amazement as a girl in a white hood stepped over the disappearing Grimm to hold out a hand. Tai looked at the girl in disbelief. "You really are an angel…"

Summer simply giggled as she pulled the boy to his feet. As he stood, she took notice of his shaking legs and placed her arm around his waist to help him balance. He made to protest, but she looked away from him to show that there was no need to defend himself. With just a little help, the two made their way through back to the other students.

By the time they arrived, the boy had managed to get his partner to her feet. The way she was forced to lean up against him suggested that her leg might have been broken during the attack, but the face she wore showed no signs of injury. All Summer and Tai could see was gratitude in her eyes for saving their lives.

* * *

Back at the evacuation zone, Summer helped load the injured student into a bullhead. Tai had tried to help, but lifting even half her weight almost caused him to collapse. The girl's partner had to stop him from trying any further. Tai hadn't noticed it until the boy said something, but he was pretty hurt himself. The strike from the ursa had left his arm bloodied and bruised. He looked for something to cover it, but was stopped by the boy once again.

Summer watched as Tai accepted the pairs orange bandana as a thank you. He shook the boy's hand before wrapping the gift around his injured arm tightly to cover the wound. As the two separated, Summer brought her arm back around him to help him towards their ride.

Getting in the bullhead was a bit of a challenge this time around. It took a helping hand from Qrow, but Tai was willing to accept it if it meant being able to crash into one of the seats. He closed his eyes to rest before feeling hands start to buckle him in. Summer gave him a light smile. "We wouldn't want you running off again, now would we?"

Tai shook his head. His eyes opened one last time to look at the group around him. Qrow was leaned back into his seat, already looking half asleep. Ozpin was looking at his scroll and taking notes of the entire situation. Summer was giving him a smile as the last of the buckles around him clicked into place. And Raven… Raven was glaring at him. He gave her a wink before looking back at Summer. "No, I don't think that's necessary." He pointed at the orange trophy wrapped around his arm. "I just didn't want to leave without something better than Raven's."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **I hope you enjoyed my take on team STRQ!**

 **I will admit, when I turned in this prompt I only had up to the part where Ozpin says "Tai will do nicely." written. After that, I kinda added the rest to make the full story exist in one place. Because of that, I felt like I was getting a bit burned out towards the end of the story because I had already turned in the work. So I really hope you didn't find it lacking near the end.**

 **That being said, this was a fun piece to write just because it adds a little more to 'The Diary of Tai'. This is the kind of thing that I had in my head while putting that story together. Then I had to go back and think what Tai would write from his perspective about the events that unfolded. Considering how long that little journal entry story ended up being, there might be a few prompt stories like this one to come out in the future!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	9. A Song Into a Story 1

**Prompt - Given a list of songs to choose from, turn a song into a short story in RWBY.**

* * *

The city of Vale. Twice he had fought for its survival. Twice he had been victorious. Twice was all there was going to be.

His arms held his stomach in place. Cold wetness seeped from the wound there. It had been years since he had last fought. Years since he had abandoned being a huntsman. Those years of complacency had caught up with him.

From his place on the ground, his eyes looked to the stars. Each one twinkled in the darkness. The night sky sure was beautiful in Vale. If only he could have shared his last night staring at it with her.

His eyes shut. His head brought back memories of a time where things were different. Back when she had hated him for being something he wasn't.

She was so beautiful then, just as she was now. Oh how he wished he could have pulled off that mask so long ago. Things might have been so much different.

His eyes opened back to look at the stars. They were instead met with bright flashing lights. Someone ran to his side. Hands reached to hold his despite the blood that covered them.

His eyes met hers and the thoughts rolled back to the past. She was so sweet and caring back then too. Always looking for the best in others. Without that, she would have never been able to forgive him.

He had made her an example. What a fool he had been. She deserved the same love and kindness that she radiated to those around her. Yet, his part in the world had been forced to push that away.

Where had that person come from? Why did he fall to such immaturities? That wasn't the man he was. At least, it wasn't the man that he had become.

The hands holding his let go and reached around his neck. He could feel her warmth around him despite how cold his body had become. Her tears ran down his cheek, only for his to join them.

He never deserved a wife quite as kind as her. He never deserved her forgiveness in anything that he had done. Yet, here she was. Taking him in for what he had become.

Cardin closed his eyes. His hands gently feeling the long tall ears of his loved one. Slowly they fell to his side as his regrets floated away with the rest of his thoughts.

Oh how he wished had been able to take back everything. Oh how he wished to know Velvet when they were young.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **So was the song easy enough to guess?**

 **I Wish I Knew You - The Revivalists was one of 10 song choices that were given to me to choose from for this prompt. I thought I could write something slightly unexpected for it considering it's a fun song, yet it is all about regretting not doing something more in the past.**

 **I had to give a good thought towards 'Who?' would be regretting their actions. There were a lot to choose from, but Cardin hasn't been mentioned in too many stories, so I opted to give him a try.**

 **I'm sure a few more of these might pop up in the future. Especially since they are nice and short!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	10. Cinder and Jaune Go On a Date

**Prompt - Cinder and Jaune, first date.**

* * *

 _"Bring me the boy."_

Cinder sneered. There was already a great many things that could go wrong with this plan. One slip-up could spell the end. Not just for the mission, but quite possibly her life as well.

Her heels clicked down the hall. Her tight red dress clung to all the curves of her body. She even made sure to walk with an extra bit of sway in her hips as she moved. " _Bring me the boy."_ It wasn't some sort of side objective for her infiltration of Beacon. It had been a command. Cinder looked up at the door in front of her. She took a breath to collect her emotions, and knocked. Not because she wanted to, but because her mistress had demanded it.

There was scurrying on the other side of the wooden door. The boy must be just as nervous as the moment she had asked him out on this 'date'. Good. Nerves just made the fool that much more pliable. The knob turned and blond hair poked itself around the frame. "Cinder!" He tried to sound excited, but when his eyes met her outfit the nerves shot back to his throat. "I… Uh… I'm ready?"

Cinder brought her hand up to her mouth to cover it while she laughed. To the boy, it may seem like she was enjoying the fact that his statement had come as a question. To her, the laugh was a sign of an easy victory. She eyed the boy in his black suit. "Well, don't you look handsome." The boy's face lit up in a bright red flush. "I can only imagine what you might look like at the dance later this semester, Jaune."

The thoughts of going to the dance with her seemed to freeze him in place. Or, maybe it was the way she had practically purred his name. It didn't matter which. One date was all she would need to seduce the boy and continue forward with her true mission.

She held out a hand for him to hold. He would be leading her to dinner. If anything, giving him a sense of control might expedite the process of bringing him to her aid. When he grasped it without a word, she was a bit taken aback by just how firm his grip was. His sweaty palms would ruin the black sleeves that ran up her arm. Normally, she would have ended everything there. If the boy were truly that nervous, surely he would not be worth her time. This time, however, her orders demanded that they be treated as a minor casualty of the mission.

As Jaune took his first few steps forward, a voice called out to them from inside team JNPR's room. Both he and Cinder turned their heads back to see Pyrrha Nikos wave from the doorway. "Have fun you two!" She called to them. Jaune waved back to her with a smile, but Cinder eyed the girl. She was well practiced in the way she hid her pain. However, her experience wasn't great enough to get it past Cinder's perception. She was jealous. The invincible girl was jealous that Jaune wanted her. Perhaps this mission would be more worthwhile than originally thought.

* * *

The walk to the restaurant was dull. The boy had attempted to make small talk the entire ride into Vale. If that hadn't been bad enough, his hand had refused to let hers go. Cinder was beginning to feel sickened from the dampness that spread across the palm of her sleeves. The only upside to this was that they had finally arrived at their destination. A simple pasta shop that their dressy outfits had no place being in.

She had suggested they go somewhere nice. It was her way of making sure her overly sexy outfit would blend in with the crowd. Jaune had insisted on paying though. Apparently, this place was all he was able to afford. Because of that, he had asked if they could just pretend it was a bit fancier as a way to make it up to her. At the time, it seemed that the idea could fit her plans. Now, as she walked closer to one of the wooden tables among families wearing jeans and t-shirts, she realized just how out in the open she was.

Jaune shifted behind her to help her into her seat. The scraping of the metal chair along the tiled floor seemed to irritate everyone in the surrounding area. Great, even more attention had been called to her. The situation was getting worse by the minute. Still, she gave Jaune a smile for the kind gesture and moved to sit down.

Her hips fell back towards the chair, only to find air. She heard the sound of metal digging into the floor once again, along with Jaune's yell as she tumbled to the tile floor. There was a loud thump when she landed. The unexpected fall brought a great pain towards her tailbone. She gripped at the source while Jaune looked at her in horror.

"Cinder… I'm so sorry! I was going to help you sit, but the chair just kinda moved on its own! I didn't mean it! I swear!" His panicked voice only drew more attention to the two of them. Cinder winced. Everyone wanted to stare at the girl in the red dress sitting on the floor. It was an embarrassment.

An embarrassment that he would have to pay for _after_ her mission was complete. Cinder propped herself back onto the chair and shifted herself into place at the table. She did her best not to grind her teeth as she beckoned Jaune to his side of the table. "Accidents happen, Jaune." She ran her hand up his arm as he moved away. "How can I be mad at you while you're taking me on such a lovely date?"

His voice broke up again. "Ye…Yeah. Our date." He looked straight into Cinder's eyes which she met with a longing gaze. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked with more than a bit of concern.

"Yes, of course." She replied with another roll of the words. "Let's just focus on you… and me." His face flustered again as we went to speak. No words came from him before a waiter moved to the side of the table and interrupted the conversation.

"Thank you both for coming in this evening." The tall, lanky man spoke with dread in his voice. The line had clearly been spoken more than he had planned for his lifetime. "I have brought you both a soup to get started." He nodded over to Jaune while facing Cinder. "Casanova over here already ordered for you both beforehand."

Cinder was dumbstruck. Had Jaune attempted a 'power move' on her? As two soups fell to the wooden table in front of them, she could only stare into Jaune's nervous face. Yes, he had planned everything. Did he think that he was in control of this date? Did he really think that she wouldn't notice his attempts to take command for her?

She picked up a spoon and forced a sly smile onto her face. No. She would not let him best her. The metal spoon dipped into the soups broth. Her eyes locked with Jaune's as she slid the spoon up to her mouth. She deliberately took her time sipping on the contents, and gave the boy a wink as it slid into her mouth.

Jaune was practically putty as he watched the spectacle. His eyes went wide as the spoon slid slowly past her lips and moved towards her tongue. She went to stop it there. The boy had seen enough. However, she found that the metal didn't stop moving as she intended. The spoon continued to slide deeper towards her throat. Cinder let out a small gag and attempted to pull on the utensil with all of her might, only for it to force itself forward a bit more.

Jaune's face switched from attracted to horrified in seconds. "Cinder? Are you okay? Did you not like the soup?" He was met with another gagging noise from his date. "Oh. Oh no. Are you choking? Do you need help?!" The girl struggled to hold up a hand. That was more of a sign than he would ever need. Jaune jumped from his seat and across the table. His arms wrapped around her stomach and gave it a pull.

Cinder knew he was trying to help, but the lurching forward from his sharp pull hurt more than choking on the spoon. Her torso bent at her stomach a second time as the boy yelled out "Breathe!" She let out another gag, only to feel the spoon start to slide back towards her lips. She had done it, she had freed herself from the intruding metal. She tried to gasp for air, only for another pull to come from the boy behind her.

The unexpected third tug was stronger than the last. It sent her chest forward towards the table. The spoon fell from her mouth, but her head met something else. Scalding hot soup covered her face. The broth splashed from the bowl and Cinder let out a scream.

She felt the arms around her stomach release immediately, and heard whimpers from behind her. "Cin…Cinder? Are… Are you okay? I…I…I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to…"

Her face dragged itself out of the bowl. Her makeup ran down from her face and onto her red dress. Her eyes lit up in a fire of rage. He knew about her. He had to know. He was playing dumb to be rid of her. Fire started to form from her hands, only for her to control the urge to burn the building to the ground.

No. She had to maintain herself. The boy couldn't know about her. It wouldn't make any sense for him to know anything about her past. Still, she wouldn't be able to go on like this. Today, she would have to admit defeat. Defeat was better than whatever hell this boy would continue to put her through.

Jaune could only watch as Cinder stood from her seat. Soup and a few noodles fell from her hair as she did. A dark wet stain ran across the top of her beautiful red dress as her hands tried to wipe off the rest of the mess. He gulped as she glared at him with murderous intent. Only for her to turn towards the exit, and stride off towards it.

* * *

Jaune watched as his date left him to dry. Everything had gone wrong. How had he managed to mess everything up so badly? How could all of those bad things happen so quickly? He brought a hand to his forehead to massage the sour feelings away. He stopped himself there. His eyes had met with a little girl at the table across from his. The girl's smile struck him back into reality. He was still in the middle of a restaurant. Everyone was still staring at him.

He fell down into his seat in defeat. He had already paid for the meal too. The pit in his stomach told him that he wouldn't be able to eat, but it would be a waste just to leave it all. He picked up his untouched spoon and slowly stirred the soup while staring into the bowl. The sound of metal scraping against the tile pierced through his ears as a figure appeared in the reflection of the broth. His eyes looked up and met green.

Pyrrha stared back at him from the other side of the table. The makeup she wore perfectly accented her beautiful green eyes. Her whole body radiated from the red dress that clung perfectly to her body. "Do you mind if I join you?" She asked in a shy, nervous voice. Jaune looked at her in awe and smiled. After everything that had happened, he wouldn't be eating alone.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Not quite the date you were expecting? Or, maybe it was? I've seen a decent amount of stories revolving around Jaune and Cinder getting together. I wanted to make sure that this wouldn't be just another one of those!**

 **That being said, this was a fun one to write! I ended up writing the whole thing and editing it in just under an hour and a half. Because I'm normally a pretty slow writer, I'd say that points to just how much I enjoyed it!**

 **Some fun facts about this story...**

 **1\. I had originally thought to have Cinder stick around for a main course, only to have her fork and knife turn against her. Having Pyrrha go to that length after having Cinder choke on her spoon seemed like too much though.**

 **2\. After receiving this prompt, I wrote the whole thing while trying to make a joke about Pyrrha wanting her noodle, and eating some too.**

 **3\. Cinder falling into piping hot soup was a good way to ruin the date, but I wanted it to happen for another reason. This way, Pyrrha and Jaune got to burn Cinder for once!**

 **I should note that this story also turned my attention to the fact that I've been writing a lot of things with Jaune in it. I might have to change that up for a bit of variety during the next few weeks!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	11. Jacques Schnee is Hunted by Grimm

**Prompt – Jacques Schnee finds himself being hunted by Grimm in an abandoned factory near Atlas' border. He is rescued by a huntress/huntsman who hates him.**

* * *

Disaster. The lot of it.

The brand new refinement facility was supposed to be up and running at full capacity when he arrived. It had taken years to build something that close to Atlas' borders, and a considerable amount of funding as well. There were plenty of things that tried to stop the project. If it wasn't the workers incessant complaining over how far they would have to travel from home to work, or the military complaining about the need for more defenses, it was James lecturing him about how to run _HIS_ business. All of it compiled into one constant thorn in Jacques' side.

All of that was exactly why everything needed to be up and running without a hitch. It would be the ultimate victory over all those who argued against him. However, when he exited the bullhead with his security team, he was greeted with a horrific sight.

The facility was in shambles. Windows smashed, pieces of metal and robot were scattered everywhere. Some still burning from whatever battle had taken place. Everything he had worked towards these past few years, all the investments he had made, gone. The only thing that remained was an abandoned building that looked like it should belong to the scum in Vacuo.

Even with the destruction and fire, he had to see the damage first hand. The loss of the facility drove him forward though the pain in his chest of what could have been. His security team attempted to stop him, but he would not hear any of it. He had paid thousands of lien for soldiers like them to protect this facility. He was beginning to wonder what he even paid them for.

Glass crunched under his boot as he walked through the facility. It was a rather cathartic sound. At least it was him destroying what was left of the building _HE_ paid for. He took another step, waiting to take in the wonderful crunch.

The splash that it made startled him. His eyes fell to the floor to see a dark red liquid scattered across its surface. He nearly fell backwards as he jumped away from the sight. He looked over the massive pool of blood a second time with wide eyes. He thought for a moment that there would be a reasonable explanation for why there was so much, but his thoughts stopped when a drip added itself to the rest.

A ripple ran across the pool of blood. Followed quickly by another. Jacques froze. The next drip came quicker than the first two. His eyes looked up towards the source. Panic hit him when the red eyes of a nevermore looked back.

The next moments were a blur to Jacques. The nevermore screeched. Gunshots rang out. The crunching of glass echoed through the halls. The howls of beowolves added themselves to the noise.

Jacques didn't have a weapon. He shouldn't have to. He paid others to fight for _HIS_ life. It made watching them get picked off one by one an even more terrifying sight. There were screams, cries for help, calls for backup. All of them silenced as he hid behind closed doors. He tried calling for help on his scroll, but the distance to Atlas left him without a signal.

He was trapped. There was nowhere that he could run from the remaining Grimm. They would find him. They would sense his fear. When they did, he would be torn apart just like the men before him.

Jacques fell to his knees. His hands covered his face. He was going to die. All of the hours of work that he had put into making _HIS_ life different… It was all a waste. Even he would fall to the same fate as a typical human on Remnant.

The door in front of him shook with loud bang. Followed by another, and another. The Grimm were going to break in! They were going to burst through the metal doors! Another loud bang. The metal door started to contort from the force inflicted upon it. His eyes were locked onto the damage it faced. One more attack would send them hurdling after him.

Another bang rang out. The door burst from its hinges and a beowolf crashed through its doors. Jacques held his hands over his face in a pathetic attempt to defend himself.

Death never came. He opened up one eye from behind the protection of his hands. In front of him, a beowolf lay dead on the floor. The black smoke rising from its body already evaporating the creature. His eye went wide. What could have possibly killed the monster? What had saved him?

He heard the sound of a click from just beyond the broken doors. "You've gotta be kidding me. _YOU_ are my 'Special Assignment'."

Jacques watched as Qrow Branwen tucked his scroll in his jacket. "At least I got a good picture out of it." The man snickered. "The way you're holding that 'don't kill me' pose, I suppose I should've gotten ten."

Jacques looked back to the fetal position he had yet to break himself from. His body still shook with the adrenaline of the battle, but he forced himself up before being subjected to even more reticule. "What is the meaning of this, Qrow? Why are you here?"

Qrow scoffed. "Yeah. You're welcome for saving your sorry excuse of a life." He pointed at what remained of the Grimm. "Ironwood asked for a favor regarding some distress signals in the area. He failed to let me in on the fact that it would be helping you."

Jacques temper flared. "Well what good are you huntsman if you aren't going to help defend against the Grimm? I lost this whole facility because of…"

"You lost this whole facility because you're an idiot." Qrow snapped back. "Only someone with no regards for others would decide that this was a good place for work. I should've known better. 'A colony in trouble on the border of Atlas'. Yeah, I should've known from the beginning that this would have something to do with you."

Jacques teeth ground together in his mouth. "If you're going to keep running that mouth of yours, this conversation is over. I have better things to do than listen to you spat nonsense of YOU being high and mighty."

Qrow's hand clenched into a tight fist at his side. "Fine. I have better things to do than escort a wannabe Schnee back home so he can hide in his castle." He turned to leave, only to stop in his place. His hand reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He turned it over in his hand to make sure that it was still intact before turning to face Jacques with a coy smile across his face.

Jacques looked at the letter and then back to Qrow's new smile. "This conversation is over." He said in a commanding tone.

"Yeah… well… You're going to do me a favor." He said holding out the letter to Jacques.

Jacques didn't make to move. "And why would I do that?"

Qrow continued to hold the letter in the air. "Because you owe me one for saving your life."

Jacques scoffed at him. "I don't owe YOU anything." He said confidently.

Qrow's smile grew. He pulled out his scroll from his jacket and began flipping through its screens. When he found what he was looking for, he turned the screen towards Jacques. On it, a picture of Jacques pleaded for mercy with his hands blocking his face. A single eye peaked out from behind his arms as he braced for whatever fate might send his way. "Alright, have it your way." Qrow said with a chuckle. "You're going to do me a favor because I have blackmail."

Jacques eyes darted from the screen, to the smirking man's face, and then finally back to the letter. He snatched the envelope from Qrow's hand and nearly crumpled it in his tight grip. Qrow laughed as he turned to the exit once more. Gods did Jacques hate that laugh. He flipped the letter over to see who was so important that _HE_ must be the one to deliver it. It almost ripped when he read Winter's name with a heart.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello everyone!**

 **For this one, I wanted to try to make a few key things stand out. Not just as an 'in character' thing, but rather, a way to write my stories. Here's a few examples.**

 **Number 1: Jacques thinks very highly of himself.**

 **I tried adding a few things to the story to have this stand out. Throughout, when Jacques thinks on himself, it is in capital letters that are italicized. If Jacques was a completely unknown character, I felt like having this added bit helps make that stand out. It's something very small, but I felt like it adds a lot to his character in this short.**

 **Number 2: Jacques business is more important than anything else.**

 **I feel like this sits with canon really well, but again, it's something I wanted to come out in the short. Things like the complaints from Ironwood, and his employees not mattering to him, but the cost of the project eating at him. Then the building is destroyed, but all he sees is a failed investment. Finally, Qrow doesn't earn a favor for saving Jacques' life, but instead, Qrow gets one because he has blackmail over Jacques that could affect his PR in some way.**

 **These were all little things that I tried to add. I'd be interested in hearing if they stood out to everyone reading them, or if everyone just passed them by. I personally felt like they added something, but I'm the writer here!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	12. Yang Reads Blake's Secret Stash

**Blake falls asleep while reading her secret stash of material. Yang is still awake and finds Blake asleep on one of them.**

Long days and even longer nights. It was becoming a very common occurrence after the breach. Blake had gone back to enthralling herself in her quest to find information on the White Fang and Adam, which forced Yang to follow suit in a seemingly hopeless attempt to help her. Between training for the Vytal festival, every day studies, and occasionally humoring Ruby's ideas for team activities, the girls had drained themselves down to exhaustion.

 _So why can't I sleep?_ Yang's eyes stared at the ceiling of the dorm from her bunk as the question ran through her head for the fifth straight night. _How can someone be so tired, but not get any sleep?_ She sighed, her body rolling on its side to get a better view of the room. She shook her head as the obvious answer reared its ugly head yet again.

No matter how hard they searched for some kind of answers about the White Fang, nothing showed up. Sure, there had been the occasional article regarding White Fang crime far from Vale, but it was nothing definitive. The news never brought forth any leads. It was infuriating.

Yang shook again and pulled the covers off herself. _Great, I can't even follow my own advice._ She had told Blake not to let the search consume her. She had done it to make sure her partner was safe and healthy. Yang was looking out for her. _Blake even listened to me…_

She hopped off the bed and landed on soft feet. On landing, she saw the ears on Blake's head twitch and it forced her to freeze in place. _Wait. Is Blake… sleeping?_ The blonde looked over her partner with a smile on her face. _She's sleeping! I did it!_ Yang pumped a fist in the air in celebration. All of her hard work on the search must have helped more than she thought. All that time and effort had finally gotten Blake to sleep.

A yawn escaped Yang. Whatever had been troubling her a few minutes ago had passed. She looked at her bunk and felt the comfort it would bring radiate over her body. She took a single step up the ladder to climb back into its warmth, but took one last look at Blake before she did. _She really does look cute when she sleeps. All tucked into a ball with her book and… Wait… A book?_ Yang stared at it and sighed. She hadn't done anything to help. Blake had simply read herself to sleep.

Yang's foot slid back down to the floor. The urge to rest left her as guilt from not being able to help her friend crept back into her mind. _What can that book possibly do for her that I can't?_ Her eyes traced back to its location. Her curiosity slowly growing. _I mean… I won't know unless I read it…_ Slowly, she inched her way to Blake's bedside to get a better look at the item in question. Even in the dark, she could just barely make out the title. 'Ninjas of Love'. Yang gave off a light scoff. How could this book possibly help? Blake had to have read that book at least twenty times by now.

Yang's hand weaved its way over Blake's shoulder and onto the books cover. With a few small tugs, the book was set free from her partner's grasp and into her chest. _Alright, let's see what makes you so special._ She flipped the book open and her eyes immediately went wide. Ninjas of Love was the cover. That's all that it was. On the inside, the pages were carved out so that a second book could fit itself neatly inside.

Yang's shoulders stiffened. She quickly closed the cover and turned her attention back to Blake. The girl remained peacefully in place where Yang had left her. _Good, she's still asleep._ Yang's eyes took one more look at the book and then moved up towards her bunk. _If Blake went through all the trouble of hiding this, it must be important._ She took a quiet step up the ladder to her bunk before hoisting herself the rest of the way.

She pulled her covers over her head and shined her scroll at the book. _Psh, this must be how Ruby felt when she tried to hide from me at bedtime._ Yang opened the book once more to get a better look at the one hidden inside of it. _Alright Blake, let's see what's so special about your hidden book that it puts you to sleep._ The cover was plain. The brown leather had specs of gold lettering that must have been worn off over time. She delicately pulled it out of its 'Ninjas of Love' confines and turned to the first page.

No sooner had the old books page rattled, then a hand had shot out from beyond the covers Yang had hidden herself under. Yang stared at the white skin of the hand as it very lightly pulled the book away. The arm had made its way through her defenses from the edge of the bed. There, peering at her from under the covers, were two amber eyes that glowed brilliantly in the dark.

Yang turned the light from her scroll off to hide herself, but it was all too late. "Yang. What are you doing with my book?" The sternness of her voice dug into Yang.

Through the darkness, she answered back weakly. "H...Hi Blake. I… um… thought you were sleeping."

She heard Blake sigh and the sounds of her covers moving up and away from her. A body laid next to her in bed, but all she could see were the floating golden orbs looking at her. "I was. I heard you get out of bed. You know, you aren't as sneaky as you think."

Yang ran her hand over her forehead. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just… I don't know. I couldn't sleep."

Yang felt a hand massage her shoulder. "I know." Her voice lowered into a whisper. "It's because of me. Again." Yang went to tell her that she was wrong, but the hand moved from her shoulder and covered her mouth. "Yang, you can't lie to me. You've been helping me non-stop recently, and I know it's because you're worried about me like you were before the dance." She paused and the amber eyes drifted down to where the book pressed into her chest. "I didn't want to drag you down with me. I know better than to work without you now, but I could hear you shuffling around at night and knew I had to do something about it."

Her hand finally pulled away from Yang's mouth, but she continued to speak. "I know you want me to get rest. I tried just about everything to separate myself from our search, but it was too hard. I had to find something to distract me." Yang heard the sounds of pages turning. "This… this one was my mother's favorite."

Yang closed her eyes and rested her head against her pillow. Blake's voice spoke softly beside her under their small mound of blankets. "Once upon a time, there was an old man…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **I bet you thought this was going to be filled with Yang reading smut! Well, ha! It turns out she just likes to hide her fairy tales where no one would look!**

 **It's about time I added some Blake and Yang stories to the mix!**

 **Next week is Valentine's day, so prompts will all be ship related... I wonder how that is gonna go!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	13. RWBY Talk About Good Memories

**Prompt - Team RWBY talks about good memories they have of their parents. Weiss doesn't have many, but she has at least one.**

* * *

"Sooooo, Blake, those are your parents?"

Two furry ears shot up to answer the question. Blake's golden eyes moved from her bowl of ramen and found lilac across the table. She covered her mouth to finish her bite before responding. "Yes, Yang. Those are, in fact, my parents."

Yang smirked at the flat tone. "Yeah, I can see it. You really take after your dad." She said beaming from the long forgotten banter. Blake scoffed under her breath and rolled her eyes. "Dodge it all you want, Blake. You know I'm not gonna stop until you give me a bit more than some sass." Yang's singsong tone seemed to annoy the girl a bit more.

"I'm with Yang!" Ruby called out from next to her sister. "You never told us anything about your parents! I mean, you mom is so nice! And your dad is huge!" Ruby covered her mouth when she realized just how loud that had come out. "Or… uh… He looks really strong?" She looked at Blake's parents from across the room. Ghira had been too involved with his conversation with Qrow to hear it, but Kali was laughing lightly in her direction. Ruby laughed nervously as she turned her attention back to Blake.

Blake dropped her chopsticks next to her bowl and looked over her friends. All three of her teammates were watching her with anticipation. Blake just gave off a light sigh. "Guys… it's not something that I really want to talk about right now."

"Fine." Yang answered with a coy smile. "Then maybe we can talk all about what you and Sun have been doing since the… MMMPH!"

Blake sat down in her seat. Her chopsticks fell to the table as Yang forced herself to swallow more than a mouthful of ramen. "Okay. Parents. Yes. That sounds wonderful." Blake said collecting herself.

Weiss giggled in her seat as Yang choked back the rest of her unexpected meal. Ruby ignored her sister and gave Blake her full attention. "So your dad is the chief of Menagerie?" She paused and her eyes went wide. "Does that mean you live in a castle or something?!"

Blake gave off a light laugh towards her leader. "No. I wouldn't call it a castle. It's more of a great hall with spare offices and bedrooms." She paused a moment to think. "I guess it is the largest building on the island. It's just not something I remember all that well."

Yang and Weiss nodded in understanding while Ruby pressed further. "Why don't you remember it? I mean, if I lived in a great big house I don't think I would ever forget it!"

Blake sighed while she thought of a way to explain herself. "Ruby, it's not that I could ever forget it. It's just not what I remember the most from my childhood. My dad used to be the leader of the White Fang. Back then, it was a peaceful organization. We would travel to anywhere in the kingdoms that a faunus needed help, or a voice to speak with theirs. I remember my parents teaching me just how cruel the world could be, while also trying to show me how beautiful it was at the same time. We would protest and picket by day while exploring the new cities and towns at night. My home was whatever town we ended up stopping at for the day." Blake's eyes sunk into her bowl and she frowned at her reflection. "I used to love spending time with them. No matter where we were in the world…"

"And now you're all back together again!" Everyone turned to face the interrupting blonde. "What? You were a kid and you made some mistakes. If your parents didn't forgive you for them, they wouldn't be here right now! You all still remember the good times, and that's what matters."

Yang waited for Blake to respond, but it was Ruby who spoke first. "Yang's right. I remember when my dad first brought Zwei home. I used to have nightmares, and he spent the whole day looking for a way to help! I screamed and ran around the house when he brought him home. My dad was so worried that I was scared of dogs. He couldn't believe anybody could yell so loud from excitement."

Yang's laugh roared through the dining room. "I remember that! That's not as good as the time he let me beat up that kid who pulled on your hood at Signal!"

It was Ruby's turn to burst into hysterics. "That was awesome!" She put her hands up to her face to imitate her father's light beard. "Comon kid! The first lesson of our class was that if you see red eyes, you start fighting!" Ruby's mocking tone of her father got a few more laughs from around the table while she and Yang tried to contain their fit of laughter.

As it continued, Blake turned to her right to face Weiss. The girl seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. While everyone laughed, she smiled nervously. "How about you, Weiss? Do you have any fun stories about your parents?" The laughter ceased at once. Blake looked around at all the eyes staring at her. Yang's glare was fierce as if she had just committed some sort of crime.

The blonde spoke softly, but firmly to direct the conversation elsewhere. "Blake, we were talking about you and your parents. Don't try to change the subject…"

"Yang, it's alright." The heiress softly spoke. "I know what I've told you about my parents. Despite all of that, it doesn't mean there were only bad times." She swirled her chopsticks around her bowl of ramen. Everyone watched the girl deep in thought. "All my life, my father tried to mold me into the perfect heir to the Schnee Dust Company. He held me to the standards of most adults before I had hit ten, and I was expected to publically speak and sing in front of crowds just before my twelfth birthday. It was… difficult. All of it. I didn't really have a childhood."

Blake's ears fell to her head. Guilt raised in her for asking the question in the first place. However, Weiss continued with her story. "When I was thirteen, my father decided that I was ready to learn what it meant to hire an employee." Weiss' face lifted at the thought and a small smile formed on her face. "I remember wondering who I would possibly need to hire, only for him to tell me that one of our butlers was going to retire soon. I was to go into the city to meet a list of potential candidates and interview them for the position."

Ruby looked at her partner with a bit of confusion. "He wanted you to interview them? As in, like, talk to a bunch of strangers?" Her body shook at the thought.

Weiss laughed lightly into her hand. "Well Ruby, that's where the fun came in. I never went to the interview." Her teammate's brows raised at the information. The sudden act of defiance seemed to pique all three of their interests. Weiss pouted at the newfound attention. "What? Believe it or not, I did make some decisions on my own!"

Ruby waved her hands in front of her chest to egg her on. "Yeah, yeah… What did you do instead of going to the interview?"

Weiss smiled a bit at the memory. "Well, as I walked through the city, I came across a man in tattered clothes napping in an alleyway. He was balding, unshaven, and smelled as if he hadn't showered in a while. To be honest, I think I was still upset that my father was making me go to the interview. That's why I woke him up and asked if he would like a job."

Yang laughed. "Wait… You hired a bum as a butler?" She thought about it before her laughter grew louder. "Your dad must have been pissed!"

Weiss just shook her head. "Actually, he didn't say anything at all." She paused a minute to think on it. "I think I remember him encouraging it. It was my choice to hire him, and he was allowing me to go along with it." Now even Weiss laughed a bit at the story. "Now that I think about it, he might have been making me go through with it as some sort of punishment."

Blake shook her head. "It was nice of you to offer the man a job, but did he even know what he was supposed to do?"

"No." Weiss said admittedly. "But he was my employee, so I helped teach him. I bought him some clean clothes, gave him a room to stay in, and then helped him learn everything he needed to know. Soon, even my father was calling to him." A larger smile grew on Weiss' face, as she got lost in the memory. "My father admitted that I had done well. He didn't condone my actions, but he admitted that I had stuck with my decision and made it work. It was the first time he ever admitted that he was proud of me."

A few tears formed at the corner of Weiss' eyes. Blake wrapped an arm around her shoulder while the girl wiped them away. "And your butler?" She asked a bit hesitantly.

Weiss composed herself. She took a deep breath, and her smile grew wider than it had been at the mention of her father's pride. "He never left." She said with confidence. "It's a bit strange to say, but I think he became my best friend." She looked at her teammates and thought back on the man that had helped her when she needed it most. "His name is Klein…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **This was a challenge to write for a few reasons. The big one being that team RWBY has so many family issues that it was surprisingly hard for me to write a happy story. By that I mean, it was very easy to have it go out of control into something sad.**

 **While writing this prompt, I realized just how little I've been putting Ruby into my stories. Equal representation is about to be enforced!**

 **That being said, Valentine's day is this week. That means shipping prompts are going to be coming into play in vast numbers. Does that mean I have to write every ship too...? Here we go...**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	14. Team RWBY Discovers Shipping

**Prompt - Team RWBY and team JNPR discover a site on their scrolls where they learn about shipping. Each student reacts differently.**

* * *

Coco sat alone in the cafeteria perusing through her phone. Normally, other students would leave her alone to eat and read. However, that would require the students to be normal. Her new friends were anything but.

"Gooooood morning, Coco!" Yang's voice called to her from halfway across the cafeteria. Coco's glasses fell to her nose as she stared at the girl with an eyebrow raised. The blonde had been quite energetic when Coco mentioned she needed help with the dance. She hadn't realized that asking for help would mean that she would have made 'besties' with a girl she hardly knew.

"Good morning, Yang." She lazily responded, her eyes immediately falling back to her phone.

A tray slammed down on the table in front of her as Yang took her seat. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here! I'm just waiting on everyone else while they get their food."

Coco once again lowered her phone. "Yeah. No problem. I'm just catching up on things before class. Don't mind me." She hoped that her choice of words would get the point across to the girl without being too rude.

"Sounds like a plan! Whatcha reading?" Yang asked without hesitation, taking an audible bite from her sandwich as she did.

Coco glared at the girl, but the effect was lost the second another voice yelled out. "There you are, Yang! You never sit over here! We were looking all over for you and… Coco! Hey! What's up?"

Coco's hand ran to her forehead. "Ruby! Don't interrupt her! She's trying to read!" Yang called back. "Although, she was just about to tell me about what. Come take a seat you guys!"

Coco let out a groan. Her quick glance at Ruby revealed the rest of team RWBY and their friends of team JNPR. All of them made way to her table that she had hoped would remain hers alone. She looked at her phone and the articles on it. There was no way that she would be telling any of them anything.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than her phone disappeared from before her eyes. Yang's lilac eyes scanned the screen for all of its details. "This seems like fun! I named my bike Bumblebee!"

Coco's eyes went wide as the blonde clicked on the screen. "Wait! Yang! No!"

Her interruption was too late. Yang froze in place as she saw what was on the screen. Coco could visibly see her face climbing into shades of red that were close to that of her eyes when she was angry. "I…I…Um…" Yang's stuttering caught the attention of everyone else at the table.

"Hey! I wanna see!" Ruby called out. Coco tried her best to reach the phone first, but all she managed to grasp were rose petals. "WhiteRose? Weiss! I am totally stealing this name! It is so much better than IceFlower!"

Weiss looked at her partner confused. "WhiteRose? Let me see that." She snatched the phone and scanned through its contents. Her face joined Yang's in shades of red that seemed to shine especially bright with her fair skin. "Ruby… This is…"

"Awesome!" The girl responded. "It says at the top that we are besties!"

Weiss attempted to point at all the content underneath that title. "Ruby… You missed a few parts…"

The girl shook her head. "Nope! I read all I had to!" She gave her flustered partner a hug. "We're besties! The site says so!"

Blake's ears picked up the conversation and she looked up from her book. WhiteRose? Bumblebee? They didn't find the site… did they? Her eyes met Yang's. The girl was staring at her with wide eyes and her mouth partially hung open. The realization that her site had been found struck, and she dove back into her book to hide from everyone around her.

"Give me my scroll back!" Coco yelled out angrily. The command in her voice brought everyone's full attention back to her.

Ruby sighed and held the device out towards team CFVY's angry leader. "Fine…" Coco just barely heard her mummer something about ruining her fun.

Coco snatched the scroll and looked at a few of the other highlighted sections they had yet to get to. Her eyes went wide when she realized the next one on the list was titled 'Pollination'.

Suddenly, there was a flash of red, and Ruby appeared at her side. The girl's finger clicked randomly on the screen. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to see one more!" She said while her eyes scanned the screen. Coco just barely had time to register what the girl had done. When she saw what article had been clicked, her eyes went wide. "Crosshares." Ruby read aloud in excitement. "It sounded so cool!"

"Heya, everyone!" The all too familiar voice of a rabbit faunus entered the conversation from over Coco's shoulder. "What're you all doing?"

Coco gripped the phone tightly and pulled it into her chest. "Uh… hi Velv… We…err…I was just getting ready to head back to the dorms." Coco did her best to conceal her blush. "Yeah, off to the dorms! Enjoy your lunch everyone!"

Velvet watched as her team leader briskly strode away, breaking into a run the second she was outside the cafeteria, and not removing the phone from her chest until she was almost out of sight. Velvet turned to face the rest of the students who appeared to be confused, bouncing with excitement, and… embarrassed? "Hey guys…" She said drawing out her words. "Does anyone want to fill me in on what just happened?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Ahh, the discovery of shipping. A truly ridiculous and confusing time for all.**

 **As you can see, I tried my hand at making another comedy! I think this one came out pretty well, and I feel like I'm really starting to make improvements in that regard!**

 **I have one more entry into the Valentine's day posts, but I'll save that one for tomorrow. For those that have read all my stuff so far, I will tell you that it is different from all the other entries! It even has a ship in it!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	15. Two Characters Fight For Another's Love

**Prompt - A duel between two characters for another character's love.**

* * *

Hello there sister, I hope this message catches your ear

I don't wish to do this, but I must share you my fear

Each day and each night I've been missing you so

It's confusing to think because I know you must grow

I understand your decisions, I accept them as right

Those thoughts just don't replace tucking you in at night

You and Weiss go together like strawberries and cream

Two beautiful partners that make up my team

I'm happy for you both, I want you to know

I'm just sad that it means I'll be missing you so

I'm up in my room away from Zwei and from dad

Just thinking about all the fun times we've had

I beat up school bullies, you helped with my hair

When I needed a friend, I knew you'd always be there

Now your room is empty, everything taken away

With Weiss' offer I knew I couldn't convince you to stay

You ran off with her to that beautiful home

Where she is the only one that can call you her own

I understand that she's smart, loving, and beautiful too

But that doesn't give her the right to divide me and you

I'm sorry I yelled when you said you'd be moving out

Everything happened so fast, I didn't mean to shout

I never wanted to seem like I was on the attack

I'm just scared to be alone and want my sister back

I know that it's selfish to not let you free

But being your sister is the best part of me

I want you to know that I wish your dreams with her come true

Just please don't forget that I love you too.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Ha! I bet nobody expected a poem! Or, maybe you did... This was a Valentine's day entry after all.**

 **So, while this isn't what most would consider a 'duel' I really wanted to twist this prompt into something different. I haven't written a poem in a long while, so I figured I'd give it a shot.**

 **Here, we see the aftermath of Yang's fight for Ruby's love. Being an older sibling is tough sometimes. With Yang being abandoned as a child, I felt like Ruby finally leaving home would hit her particularly hard.**

 **Let me know what you think about this one! I don't plan on turning to poetry, but it was actually kind of fun mixing things up a bit!**

 **In some other news, lately I have been doing a few 'challenges' with the same community that gives me these prompts. On there, the writers get the chance to give a prompt challenge to another writer to see if they can put a story together. For instance, I gave one to the user AStereotypicalGamer. His was to write a story that could make me tear up, but only using 1000 words at the max. His response was to challenge me back to write an EmeraldxJaune story for beyond volume 5 events.**

 **Seeing as those are also short stories, I felt like I would incorporate them within this story so that I can give you all more content. Some of them might be strange (Looking at this Topaz prompt), but I think they'll add a bit more variety to what you get to read!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	16. Challenge! Make JaunexEmerald Work

**Challenge! - Write a Story for post Volume 5 Topaz (Jaune x Emerald). Make it Work!**

* * *

Crunched leaves blazed a trail through the forest that couldn't remain hidden forever. After a quick reunion, it was Qrow that had pulled together a team to go after the last of Salem's followers. Sure, they were dangerous, but they were injured and outnumbered. Still, Qrow hadn't expected to find them so close to Haven.

Hazel snarled at the group as they made it to the scene. He carefully rested Emerald on a fallen tree trunk and joined Adam and Mercury in their defensive stance. Qrow, the blonde, the cat faunus, the red head, the girl with the scythe, the monkey faunus, a girl with long brown hair, and the kid that attacked Cinder all stood near the clearing where they had set camp.

"Is that all you've got?" Mercury snarked. Sure, they were outnumbered nearly three to one. That wouldn't matter though. Not if Emerald woke up. They just had to stall.

"Shows over kid." Qrow called back. "You know how this ones gonna end."

* * *

There was a ringing of a store bell. A ring slipped into her pocket as she made her way outside. She was free. All she had to do was make it back to the alley and… "How did you do that?"

Emerald glared at the woman in her path and went to draw her weapons. She was so close to escaping. So close to being able to afford food for the week. With the ring she had, maybe it would be the next month.

"Don't." The young woman demanded. "Unless, of course, you want them to hear you."

Emerald focused on the sounds around them. There was shuffling of feet running. Men barking orders in all directions. They were all trying to find her. The woman was right. Firing her weapon would lead them all right to her. The fight would last longer than just the single woman before her. Emerald brought her hands back to her sides. "What do you want?"

* * *

Cinder gave the girl an apple as she sat on her new bed. Cinder smiled at her as she carefully took it from her hand. "Good. You'll need to be well rested and fed if you're going to work for me."

Emerald looked at the shine of the red apple. She turned it around in her palm and noticed that it held no blemishes. Not a single bruise. She took a bite and the cool, sweet juice hit her tongue. It was nothing more than an apple, but it tasted more delicious than any of the fruit she had stolen from the venders at home.

She greedily took another bite and turned her eyes back to Cinder as she chewed. The woman was smiling at her. She had given her a place to stay out of the streets, food, and a job. She had saved her. Yet, Cinder was smiling as if she had helped her. Emerald placed the apple in her lap lightly. "What do you want me to do?"

The woman's smile grew. "All in due time, Emerald. For now, rest. Enjoy this place. Unfortunately, we will not be able to stay here for long."

* * *

Emerald's eyes shot open. A dust round shot off nearby and was followed by pained moans. The scene came into focus. Yang fired off a few more shots at Adam who blocked them with his sword. He tried to strike back, but a staff managed to clip his knee. Next to him, Mercury tried to land a kick on Ruby, but was interrupted when a shield fell in his path. Hazel's screams could be heard in the distance, but Emerald was sure his wounds from earlier would soon wear him down.

They were losing. She was hurt. Her head throbbing as she tried to keep the battlefield clear in her vision. If she didn't do something soon, they would all fall. They would all end up like… "No!" She shouted out in pain. A few people glanced over at her as her yells rang out over the sounds of the battle. Her eyes locked onto an opponent. He would go first. He attacked Cinder back at Haven. Jaune would be the first to die.

Emerald drew her weapons as she staggered to her feet. Her head throbbed again as she started her charge forward. Mercury took note of his partner's incoming attack and tried to land one more kick on her target. Jaune staggered back, his shield falling out of position. Emerald dove forward, ready to pierce the boy's heart. Ruby let out a scream. She wasn't far from her friend, but still out of reach. She wouldn't be able to help him. The yells rang through Emerald's aching head. She lost focus as the splitting headache tried to force her back into the blackness of unconsciousness.

Jaune braced for the impact, lifting his sword in a last ditch attempt to stop her. His sword lurched back, followed by a scream.

He opened his eyes. Wide red orbs stared back into them. Emerald let off a cough. Her chest tightening from the pain it brought her. Mercury froze in place. His partner hung in the air on Jaune's sword. It ran clean through her torso. All hope of winning this fight had just been lost. Emerald had fallen.

Mercury didn't even feel the pull when Adam grabbed his arm to retreat. Nothing could outweigh the numbness he felt from seeing his partner cling to life at Jaune's hand. Two friends. He had lost two friends in a single day. An agonized growl rang through the forest as Hazel smashed through the nearby trees. Even he had been bested. The man forced himself back to his feet before he too noticed what had happened. He turned to what remained of his team and grabbed Mercury's other arm. If the boy wasn't going to retreat, they were going to drag him away.

* * *

Jaune couldn't take his eyes off the girl on his sword. Earlier, he had planned to take Cinder's head for what she had done. Now, he couldn't believe he was about to take a life. His sword slid to the ground with Emerald along with it. She coughed again, blood slowly forming at her mouth.

He looked at the girl in horror. This wasn't what being a huntsman meant. This hadn't been what he signed up for at Beacon. He was supposed to protect lives, not take them. He wasn't like them. He wasn't like Cinder. He fell to his knees next to the girl and slowly drew his sword out of her. His teammates didn't move. None of them had killed another person before. They knew what the consequences could be, but it hardly compared to the feeling that welled inside of them at the sight.

Jaune threw his sword to his side. He couldn't dare look at the blood that stained the blade. He could fix this. He could separate himself from Cinder. All he had to do was concentrate. He placed his hands above Emerald's body, and his aura began to glow.

A green hue formed around Emerald's body. The coughing lightened, before stopping completely. The pain was still there, but she could feel it starting to slip away. Her eyes fluttered open and her migraine started to clear. The boy in front of her was glowing. She had seen it before during the fight at Haven. He had healed Weiss, now he was healing her.

Jaune continued forcing his aura into the girl. He could feel his energy start to drain as he did. Her wounds were closing, but how long could he keep this up? He had only used his semblance once. How long could it last before his aura depleted too? He shoved the thought down inside. No. He had to help her. He had to fix what he had done.

Emerald could see the boy start to shake. As her pain halted, his eyes began to shut. She felt her body start to shake. She could move once again. But what was the use? She would just get caught by them all once again. She tried to think of a way out. Any possible way to escape. What she saw in her mind was clear. Clarity. It was a new feeling. Her mind had never felt this open to her before. She concentrated on that, focusing all her energy onto her thoughts.

Emerald's semblance came to life. The creatures of Grimm swarmed the scene. More than any the young huntsmen had ever seen before. Each one of them drew their weapons to prepare for their attack. At the sight of them all, Jaune's head began to feel light. He didn't have much time left. He had to give the girl everything that he had left. His aura drained, and the Grimm horde grew.

When he fell to the dirt, nobody took notice of the green haired girl as she made her escape.

* * *

Emerald crawled into a ball. Old instincts had come into effect the second she started running. Shelter and food, she needed at least one to make it through the rest of the night. When an abandoned cabin had come into view, she could hardly believe her luck.

The roof was half caved in, the wooden walls were rotted, but it was shelter. It had been so long since she last feared that she would be without it. Cinder had taken care of that for so long. She had made sure she was safe. She cared for her every need so long as she played her part. Now, Cinder was gone.

Emerald's knees pulled into her chest a bit tighter. Cinder was gone. The thought continued to spiral in her mind. No one had ever cared for her as she had. No one had ever made her feel that safe before. Now, the safety was gone. Instead, the emptiness of loss pitted in her stomach. Tears streamed from her face as she realized just what had happened over the last few hours.

It wasn't just Cinder she had lost. Mercury had left her too. She had given every last bit of herself to help him fight, and he ran with Hazel and Adam. He was supposed to be her partner. He was supposed to work with her. Instead, he ran. She spat through the tears on her face. Mercury was no friend. He was a mercenary for Cinder, and nothing more. The second things turned bad, he ran. When she needed help…

Jaune had helped her.

The tears slowed as the memory took place in her mind. Jaune Arc, of all people, had saved her life. She fought through her growing headache to remember the moment more clearly. She had tried to defend Mercury. She was going to kill Jaune without a second though. He had tried to defend himself, and he had healed her when he was successful.

The grip on her knees faltered as confusion set in. Why had he done that? Why had Jaune saved her? Her hands ran to her stomach to feel where his blade had run through her body. All she felt was the smooth skin that had always been there. Not a scar or scratch to be found.

How had he done that? How had he closed her wounds and saved her from certain death? The question brought back the memory of the boy crouched over Weiss in the hall. Cinder's spear had pierced through the girl, and he was able to help her. But why? He had done that to help his friend. But why had he done that for her?

More questions, more confusion. Her headache began to ring in her head once again. Jaune had taken that away too. When he healed her, her everlasting headache had drifted away. She could see her path to an escape. She could use her semblance to the best of her ability. She hadn't felt like that since…

"How did you do that?"

Emerald shuddered. Only one other person had made her feel that way before. Shelter could wait.

* * *

Tracking down their location at Haven hadn't been difficult. She had run so many infiltration missions in the past, this bit of scouting was hardly a challenge.

Emerald peered through the window at the group. Inside, Jaune Arc laid in bed with his friends surrounding him. His eyes were shut, and his body remained still. It made Emerald sick. In that last moment before she had escaped, he had fainted. Had this boy, her enemy, given himself to save her?

She couldn't take her eyes away from the boy behind the window. She was so lost in thought that she hardly noticed that the room had started to clear. The boy that was Ozpin had entered and was ushering everyone out. She couldn't hear him, but could only imagine that he was telling them to let Jaune sleep in peace.

The lights in the room went out. The darkness took away Emerald's view of the room and broke her tranced state. No. She wasn't done thinking things through. She had to ask why he had helped her. She needed some sort of answer.

The window clicked open. A simple pick allowed it to swing just wide enough for her to slip in. The room was warm. Far different from the cabin that she had tried to hold up in. There was no jealousy though. Emerald was simply too lost in thought over the boy in front of her.

She took a few light steps forward, trying to mask her sound. Jaune's friends had left chairs scattered across the room, and she took the opportunity to claim the one closest to him. As she sat down, the chair squeaked ever so slightly, and the boy stirred.

Emerald froze. She had simply wanted more time to think. Just a few more minutes to find some answers. As the boy opened his eyes, she thought she had made a mistake.

"E…Emerald?" He said in a raspy voice. "You're… You're okay?" He coughed as the words painfully escaped from his mouth.

Emerald didn't reply. She brought up a hand as if to help him, but rested it back down in her lap before it made it to his body. The boy just smiled at her. "I… I did it…"

"Why?" The question came out more broken than she had hoped. She did her best to calm it before speaking again. "Why did you help me?"

Jaune's smile grew at the question. He had saved her. Yet, Jaune was smiling as if she had helped him.

His voice came out a bit more clearly. "I did it…" The boy slowly brought out his hand and placed it on her shoulder. "Because I'm not like her."

Emerald froze in place at his touch. She owed this boy her life. He had saved her when she had lashed out against him. At that moment, she couldn't bring herself to tell him that he was wrong.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Crack shipping. I never thought I would reach this point, but here we are! Did I make it work? Is the setup strong enough for you to 'potentially' ship it? Well, I hope so!**

 **I'm going to be calling out stories that were 'challenges' from other writers from now on! They should be fairly different stories, but I think they'll be fun to add onto the list of short stories that I put together! Especially since I'll be putting plenty of effort into them!**

 **This one was a challenge from Fanfiction writer AStereoTypicalGamer. He put together the stories 'Bring you Sunshine' and 'What Embers Remain' which are fantastic stories! If you want to give them a shot, you will find them both on my favorites list! I should say, based on what he typically writes, I should've expected this kind of a challenge!**

 **Let me know what you think of these, or if you'd like to see more! I'm always looking to improve in my writing, so whether or not I post them on here, I'll still be taking them on!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	17. Tai Dies, but Summer Lives

**Prompt – Summer survives and Tai dies and changes the events throughout the show.**

* * *

Summer rolled her eyes. She had just accepted another mission with Qrow. It was going to be dangerous, and he was going to need a strong partner to watch his back. Now, she wasn't going.

"Honey, I swear, I'm just gonna take this one!" Tai said with a hint of excitement. "I haven't gotten out of Signal for months! Let me have it."

Summer sighed and waved her hand as she thought it over. "And you're okay with this?" She asked as her eyes met those of her old partner.

"Yeah. I guess I did promise you both I would babysit at some point." Qrow said with a smirk.

Tai punched the man's arm and frowned. "Oh, come on! You aren't going to be babysitting! Sure, I'm probably a bit rusty, but I've still got it!" He raised his arms above his head to flex while his face held a joking smile.

Summer just giggled at his antics. "I seem to recall that earning you a black eye at one point." She said while squeezing Tai's bicep. The man deflated a bit at the comment and she helped him recover with a small kiss on the cheek. "Okay Tough Guy. You go play with Qrow. I'll watch over the girls." She peaked from the corner of her eye at the little blonde girl listening in on their conversation from the kitchen and gave Tai one more kiss. "I think we could use a little girl time anyway."

* * *

Ruby carefully placed the last plate on the table and adjusted the position of the forks and knifes until they were perfect. After her early morning run with Yang, and a nice shower, she was happy to slow down a bit by helping with dinner. She gracefully flowed from the dinner table to the sink to fill glasses with water, but took notice of her mom while completing her tasks.

Summer had been chopping up some vegetables, but had stopped to watch the show from the kitchen window. Ruby peered out to see what had captured all of her mother's attention and was not surprised at what she saw. Outside, her sister screamed as her fists continued to fly out in front of her. Her form had improved tremendously since she had started at Signal. It would be hard for it not to be the case. Yang trained more than anyone that she knew.

Ruby smiled at the sight. She was proud of her sister. She did wish that Yang would make it out of the house a bit more, but at the very least, her time was spent bettering herself. However, Summer's expression didn't match her own.

Summer hardly noticed her younger daughter staring at her. She was too focused on the sweat dripping down Yang's face. Normally, it was the sign of a good workout. It showed that you were exerting yourself so hard that new limits could be achieved. Those thoughts were nowhere near what was on her mind as she watched her daughter.

Yang had goals. They were written all over the walls of her room along with pictures of all the world's greatest huntsmen. She wanted to be stronger, fight longer and train harder each and every day. The sweat on her forehead had been there every step of the way.

Yang threw another punch. The bag hanging from a tree warped around her hand from the blow and flew back towards the trunk. Summer let out a deep sigh as she watched Yang heave from her exertion. Five hundred punches. Five hundred times the bag had flown away from her fist. Five hundred… was the same it had been for the last four weeks. Yang nearly collapsed in front of the punching bag and Zwei came to her with a towel to wipe her face. Summer hoped that the girl would smile after completing such a workout. Yang's smile could brighten up the world if she would let it. Instead, the girl punched the dirt in frustration.

Summer resumed her dinner preparation at the sight. She wanted to give her advice. Any kind of tip to help the girl on her path. The truth was that she didn't have any. As she thought on it, a few tears attempted to fall from her silver eyes. There was only one person she knew that could help her.

* * *

Ruby cheered at her recent victory. Training with Summer had made her one of the fiercest combatants at Signal, and she had only been there just over a year. Yang tried to be happy for her sister, but Ruby had won without receiving a scratch with her speed and precision. When Ruby hugged Summer, Yang forced a smile towards her as she covered the bruises from her own fight.

Yang had won her match, but only barely. It had gone on for so long that fatigue started to take over. If not for one lucky punch, and the help of her semblance, the boy she fought would have finished her off. That fact replayed in her mind over and over again. What was she doing wrong? Summer had told her all about her father. Apparently, he used to take out Grimm with his bare hands for as long as his team needed him to. Why couldn't she fight like that?

She had done everything her teachers had taught her. Surely, there must be something she was missing. Some small part of her stance that would help her hit harder, or maybe some technique that would help her with endurance. Whatever it was, she needed to figure it out. Her combat grades had been slipping after a few bad spars. She wanted to ask for help, but what did Summer know about fighting hand to hand?

An arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. It snapped Yang out of her trance and back to the reality she knew so well. Ruby was practically vibrating as she clung onto Yang and Summer. Summer beamed with pride over her two girls' victory. Yang went back to getting lost in her own thoughts.

* * *

Yang stared at their cabin in the woods. Patch was such a quiet place. The constant struggles of the world seemed to have no effect on this part of the island, or the little house that they called home. Inside, her mom and sister would be waiting for her with open arms and all the love in the world. They would have dinner waiting for her, and their chubby corgi would probably leap into her arms. They would all eat as a happy family just like every night.

The thoughts caused Yang's knees to collapse from under her. The cabin started to go blurry as tears clouded her vision. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve to be loved like that. She didn't deserve to be treated with that much kindness. She had failed them. They would never say it, but the pit in her stomach told her the truth. She was a failure.

Yang held up the letter she had been given before heading home from school. She had only read the first sixteen words, but those sixteen words destroyed her.

*Ms. Xiao Long, we regret to inform you that your application to Beacon has been denied.*

She read them again and the letter dropped to the ground in front of her. She had tried so hard. Every day she trained and sparred and ran and and and… it still wasn't enough. All that hard work, all that effort had gotten her nowhere.

Even Ruby had made it in. She had been personally asked by the headmaster after she single-handedly stopped Roman Torchwick on a night out with her friends. Had Ruby taken her spot…?

Yang's eyes blinked red through the tears. Her fist slammed into the ground and the dirt flew past her face and coated her short blonde hair. As she looked down at the dirt, the weapons on each of her wrists came into view. Ember Celica. A heavenly fire. Her hands began to shake as her tantrum turned to sobs.

Yang turned away as the tears streamed down. "I'm so sorry…" Was all that she could cry out with a choked voice. A few of her tears fell onto the metal that had been re-forged from an old steel spaulder. All she had ever wanted to be was one of the huntsmen that would be remembered for a lifetime. A role model to all. Someone that had their pictures hung up on the walls of children from around the world who one day wished to be just like them. A true hero, just like her dad.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hi Everyone!**

 **Where to begin with this prompt... Well I'll start by saying that Yang is my favorite character on the show, so this was a really hard one to write. I don't like tearing down Yang, but it just made too much sense for this prompt.**

 **So why did I come to this conclusion? Well, with Summer alive and Tai dead, a lot of things change for both Ruby and Yang. Yang doesn't have to become Ruby's caretaker quite like she did with Tai. Summer is described as 'super-mom' and I took that as, despite the loss of Tai, she would continue to be the best mom she could for her daughters. Without that super strong connection with Ruby, Yang starts to grow distant. Her real mom left, and her dad has past away, so it's not that hard to imagine how hard the loss would hit her. Then you start to tack on things like her dad not being around to train with her, Ruby still being a prodigy, but with the bonus help from Summer, and then the confidence loss from not having led the household for awhile.**

 **There's so many things that could've changed that I felt could easily lead to what I have written here. It's really sad, but I think it makes sense. Which, in a way, is even sadder. Still, some others might disagree with my take on it, and that's okay! I guess those that do would just have to write their own version!**

 **Even with the sadness, I hope you enjoyed it. If I managed to get you all worked up by the end, I suppose that means that I did my job! I keep telling myself to take on some happy and fun prompts, so hopefully some inspiration hits when I see one!**

 **Thank you all for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	18. A Picture Into a Story 1

**Prompt – Picture of Yang surrounded by Blake, Kali, and Ghira.**

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **This was part of another special set of prompts. This week we had a 'non-text prompt' selection where we could choose between a list of songs and fan-art to make a story for. I chose a fan-art of Yang surrounded by the Belladonna family with Yang holding an open bag of catnip from tumblr user** **y8ay8a. Fair warning, she has NSFW art on her site, but I wanted to make sure you could find the picture to go with this story. Googling Y8ay8a catnip had it pop up for me.**

* * *

The battle for Haven had only taken a night. Emerald, Mercury and Hazel had managed to escape and Adam's part of the plan had completely failed. Initially, everyone thought the group of villains would join back together to run to Salem. Those thoughts were squashed when reports of someone looking like Adam showed up in some of the lower levels of Mistral.

It took a few weeks to track him down, but with the relic of knowledge secured, they had a bit of time to spare. Shortly after locating the boy, a plan was created to draw him in. It would only take one small mistake from Adam to fall into the trap that would spell his demise.

How was he to know it was a trap? Through the bustling streets of Mistral, it would be nearly impossible to recognize him without his typical White Fang mask and black zippered jumpsuit. The feeling of safety in such a hostile environment was easy to cling to. He tried to fight it off, but the need for a distraction was too hard to ignore.

He walked past the vendors in search for anything that could fit his needs. A trinket, a special food, anything to pull his mind off the failures and hostilities around him. He had nearly given up when the small sounds of whistling caught his ear.

He turned to face the source of the noise and was surprised to find a black hooded figure leaning against a stone wall. The figure was beautiful, even if the hood perfectly concealed the owner's face. He should have let that be, but the curves of her body seemed to evoke something inside of him. Some sort of curiosity that he could not quite understand.

It only took a moment to make his way through the crowds around him. The figure did not move. She simply waited for the boy to approach her domain. He respected that. It showed a confidence that not many had. It made whatever hold she had over him that much more tantalizing.

Not many words were spoken at first. He had broken the barrier by asking a name. She had only given him a giggle in response. When the woman chuckled at his jokes, and allowed herself to lean into his arm, all thoughts of worry seemed to disappear. He gave up on hiding. Why would he need to hide when this mysterious woman could provide him the company he so desperately desired?

When she took his hand, he allowed her to drag him wherever she pleased. He had been to Mistral many times in his life; one more adventure through its streets would not deter him. When she reached the alley, he hardly expected a thing. She moved swiftly, pinning him against a wall in an embrace that had long become foreign. His body relaxed, his eyes closed, and his the weight of her body fell away.

"Now!"

His eyes went wide just in time to see the pierced black furry ears reveal themselves from under the hood. His mind raced, but his body didn't have the time to react to the three foes that blocked off his path. He sneered as the three completed their blockade. Blake, Yang, and Ghira. There would be no way for him to take them all on.

Yang cracked her knuckles with her metal hand. Blake drew her weapon from its holster. Ghira simply glared at the boy. He had to think fast. There had to be some way out of this! His eyes looked for some sign of hope and found nothing more than a discarded bag. In some sort of feeble attempt to defend himself, he picked it up and threw it at Yang.

The bag opened when she snatched it out of the air. A green cloud exited from inside and fell over her clothes and hair. She let out an angry growl in response. "Okay, now you're dead!" Ember Celica loaded itself into the ready position. Her legs fell back into a ready stance. She pushed off the ground, but her body couldn't move.

"Wait… What?" A hand wrapped itself around her arm and pulled her tightly. Yang faced its owner, only to find Kali with glazed wide eyes. "Kali? What are you…" A second interruption hit as another body buried itself in her chest. Yang staggered from the impact. "Blake? What are you doing?!" Yang tried to compose herself. Adam was so close! Why were they trying to stop her from getting to him? Yang looked down at the bag in her hand. What could Adam have possibly found that would…

A shadow rolled over her face. Yang froze as the body it belonged to placed a hand on her head. "G…Ghira?" Yang managed to stutter.

There was a crash as Yang was sent to the alley floor. The three faunus diving on top of her was too much for the startled blonde to manage. She let out a yelp. A single hand reached form the pile of bodies in a feeble attempt to stop Adam.

The boy was already gone. He had seen his opportunity to escape from their devious trap and took it. As he ran, he had to snicker. He had never expected to be saved by catnip.


	19. Weiss and Ruby's Volume 5 Epilogue

**WPW72 – Prompt – [Insert Character]'s epilogue to volume 5.**

* * *

A lot of things had changed over the last year. Weiss had abandoned her family, Blake had broken down the barriers of her past, and Yang had learned to live a completely new life. All of her team had been forced to grow up in such a short time, but why hadn't she?

Ruby's comic fell to the floor. Up until this point, it had been the perfect excuse for when she needed to be alone. It was a shame that she could only read the same comic so many times before it no longer pulled her back into her favorite fantasyland. Her head buried itself between two pillows as tears began to swell her eyes.

Pyrrha, Penny, everyone at Beacon… their faces crawled back into her head. She loved her friends more than anything else in the world. Why did they have to take them from her? Ruby held back her sobbing. While the pillows would muffle the noise, she didn't dare let the sounds escape. What would her teammates think if she broke down? She had to be strong for them. She had to be strong for everyone. If they knew what was going on in her head… if they knew she wasn't okay… what would they all think?

No. She was their leader. That side could never reach them. If they knew she was scared, that she hadn't grown beyond her past just like everyone else, they would worry. With Salem still out there, there was no room for worry. Worrying led to mistakes. Worrying meant that someone might not make it back…

The thoughts brought forth more tears. The rationalization wouldn't make sense to anyone she talked to, but the images of Weiss and Jaune from only a few nights earlier were still fresh in her mind. Cinder had charged Jaune. She had seen the woman get ready to take another one of her friend's lives. She had managed to save him, but that only led to Cinder turning her attention to Weiss.

The dam that Ruby held over her cries finally broke. Weiss… Weiss had nearly died. Her partner… her best friend… and she was unconscious while it all happened. She should've been able to help her! Instead, she worried and let her guard drop. It was just another mistake that was all her fault. It was just like being too late to stop the fight with Penny… or too slow to reach the top of the tower for Pyrrha….

Ruby's mind continued to spiral out of control. It was all her fault. She wasn't strong enough. She wasn't fast enough. She hadn't grown enough. All of it was her fault. Her friends would still be alive if she just…

At that moment, Ruby felt a hand on her back. Her body froze and her sobs were left choked back in her throat. The pillows could hide her red eyes and stained sheets. They would protect her from whoever had caught her. The person in question had managed to hide their steps during her hysterics, but her soft shield would at least keep her safe.

"You know, it feels a bit better when you let it out."

Ruby could make out the words. Her cushy barrier had been a bit weaker than she originally thought. Ruby felt the pillow start to lift from the back of her head, but her hands gripped its edges and pulled in back into place.

"Ruby… I'm right here. You don't need to hide."

Ruby knew she had to respond. There was no way that her friend would ever accept silence from her. Ruby sniffled and coughed in an attempt to regain her voice. "Weiss… I... I need to be alone." Ruby braced for a hand to hit the back of her head like it would back at Beacon. Instead, the fingers on her back gently ran up and down her shoulders.

"Ruby… I'm worried about you…" Weiss' tone had gone soft like the massage on Ruby's back. It might have been calming if she hadn't used that word…

The sniffling came back. The memories had not left with Weiss' presence, they had only been bottled back down. "Don't… Don't worry about me…" Ruby's voice slowly began to go hoarse. "I need you to be safe... I… I can't… I can't…" The tears took hold and turned Ruby's words into incoherent noises.

The hand on her back rubbed a bit deeper. "I know, Ruby." Weiss' body shifted to lay next to her partner. "When I… When I fell, I thought on a lot of things." The girl wrapped her arm around her and pulled her close. "After all that time, I finally had you and Yang and… and I was happy. When I was at home, I missed you all so much. Every day I thought about Beacon. About all of our friends, and how I should be going to class, or training, or telling you to do your homework."

The sobs from under the pillows stopped and Weiss could swear that she heard a small chuckle. "My time at Beacon gave me some of the greatest memories in my life." Weiss felt a tear well up in her eye as she recalled everything from the past. "When Beacon fell, I was devastated. We lost Pyrrha, and Penny, and so many others. I felt like a failure for not being able to do more, to save more lives, but then something else started to hurt just as badly…"

A reddened silver eye peered out at the heiress from beneath the pillows. Her voice was weak, but she wanted nothing more than to hear Weiss finish. "Wh… what was it?"

Weiss gave Ruby another firm hug from her side. "I realized that I was going to be without you." Weiss' eyes began to swell with the thoughts. "It was selfish, and terrible, but I couldn't stop thinking of you and Yang and Blake and… and… I couldn't imagine my life without all of you…"

Ruby allowed herself to be pulled from her barrier. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Weiss as she continued to let everything out. "When I was hit… it hurt so much… the only thing that I could think of was that it wasn't fair. After all that time, I just wanted to be back with all of you. I just wanted my friends back…" Weiss could no longer hold back at the thought. Her body shook as her partner held her close. Neither one of them spoke a word as they let each other cry.

It took a few minutes before one of them spoke again. At that point, Weiss finally managed to compose herself from her sobs. She had never meant to let all of this out, but the relief she felt from talking with Ruby seemed to be working for her friend as well. She took one more deep breath before continuing. "I thought I was going to die, Ruby. I was so scared, and it hurt so much…" The girl pulled back so she could look at the directly at her friend. "But you saved me."

Ruby sniffled as the words tried to make sense in her worked up mind. "I… I saved you?"

Weiss gave her a small nod. "When everything started to go dark, I thought of all of you. After all that time away, I was finally with you and Yang. I had just started thinking of how we could find Blake and be a team again. I was so happy, and I couldn't let her take that from me." Weiss gave her friend an honest smile. "If it weren't for you three, I might not have made it. Jaune might not have had enough time… You saved me."

Ruby choked back tears and forced Weiss into a tight embrace causing the girl to gasp for breath by the sudden hold. She was shocked to see such emotion from her partner, but was prepared to help out in any way she could. Weiss rubbed her hand along Ruby's back and allowed her to release whatever feelings were left inside. It was the least she could do for her best friend.

Weiss wasn't sure how long it took for the tears to finally stop. It hardly mattered. She would stay by her side until Ruby was finished. Eventually, Ruby's eyes started to close on her friend's shoulder. All the pent up emotion had worn the girl to exhaustion. Now she just needed to rest.

Weiss gently pushed the girl to her side and pulled her head onto the last remaining dry pillow. When the girl grasped for the missing warmth at her side, Weiss slid the blankets around her and lightly tucked her in. After waiting just a few more moments to ensure she was asleep, Weiss stood from the bed and found the discarded comic on the floor. She picked it up and set it next to Ruby's sleeping head. "Thank you, Ruby." It was spoken lightly, but she thought she saw the sleeping girl smile at her from her dreams.

With her partner cared for, Weiss made her way towards the door. It opened lightly as she approached to reveal matching sets of lilac and amber eyes. Her other two teammates smiled and closed the door behind her without a sound. Weiss had insisted that she be the one to talk to her partner. When the three of them pulled each other in for another tear-filled hug, she was filled with the emotion that she had missed for so long. The feeling of knowing she was surrounded by three friends that would do the same for her.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Okay, I may have cheated a bit on this prompt. Weiss AND Ruby both kind of got an epilogue out of this, but I think it's better this way.**

 **As for Ruby's breakdown, I think it's something that could/should happen in the show. She continues to fight through everything so that she can move forward (See her speech with Oscar), but under the surface there's got to be a lot going on. Now, in this story, she could've been comforted by Yang, or her whole team, or everyone for that matter, but I chose Weiss for the task. Not only has Weiss opened up to her friends in V5, but I feel like she's really trying to pull them all back together. Defining _who_ Weiss Schnee is has been a major point of growth for her as a character throughout all the volumes, so who better to send in to talk to Ruby than the her partner who has left her old family to continue defining her new one?**

 **Even if you don't agree, I hope you enjoyed my take on a post V5 scene!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	20. Neo's Misadventure

**Prompt – The misadventures of Neo as she tries to track down Ruby**.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **This is a continuation of my Summer Lives, but Tai Dies prompt entry.**

* * *

The walk to Junior's club was a blur in Yang's mind. The events of the night took over her every thought as she fell into her favorite seat at the bar. Almost immediately, a glass filled with a mixture of fruit juices and alcohol slid in front of her. Yang simply stared at the bright colors of the liquids as they swirled together. The matching yellow and orange toothpick umbrellas bobbing at the top of the glass just weren't that appealing today.

Yang pushed the drink forward and shook her head. "Junior, is there something a little stronger I can have?" Her voice was soft as she spoke. It was easy to make out how hard she strained to get even that out.

The man behind the counter finished putting away the juice and eyed her with a bit of concern. "That bad, huh?" Yang's head nodded on its own in response. Her eyes remained locked on the colors in front of her as her body operated on autopilot. "Alright, look, I'll break out some of the hard stuff, but you're gonna have to talk about it." His voice was low and grumbled as he spoke, but the tone was as sincere as Yang had ever heard.

She nodded again before finally turning to face the man. "Yeah… Okay."

Junior's heart sank when he noticed the amount of distress in her eyes. She was going to take a little bit of work to cheer up today. "Good choice. I'm not letting my favorite customer leave here with a frown that big." As he spoke, he grabbed a key from his pocket and began opening up a cabinet behind the counter. "That kind of mood is bad for business. If people see you leaving with a frown they're going to wonder what kind of a shitty club this is." Yang had to pay attention to his voice as he ducked to pick up the bottle he was looking for. "So, for the sake of keeping me in business, I'll let you have the good stuff, but just this once." With it in hand, he popped its cork and began filling up two glasses. He handed her one and held up the other for a toast. "So what are we drinking to tonight, Blondie?"

Yang managed to compose herself enough to give a small smile and roll her eyes at the man. "Screw you, Junior." She clanked her glass against his and took a full swig. The alcohol was smooth, but still managed to burn all the way down to her core. She winced and allowed her glass to rest on the table as she recovered.

Junior hadn't even started to drink. He just stared at the girl suffering in front of him. "Some toast you got there. Mind giving me a real reason to drink with you this time?"

Yang's grip on her glass visibly tightened. Junior saw her eyes go red for only a second before they changed to a tear filled lilac. "Failure…" She managed to say in a hoarse whisper. She lifted her glass and downed all that remained inside of it. When she was finished, the glass slammed down onto the wooden counter. "I'm a failure." She called out a bit louder. "I didn't get into Becaon."

Junior took a small sip from his glass before stopping and sliding it over to Yang. "Oh. Well then you may need a few more of these." He took the girl's glass and began pouring more from the bottle. "What did your mom say when you told her?" He knew it would be a rough question for her to answer. Experience with the girl told him that it would be the best place to start.

Yang stared at the full glass in front of her. "I didn't." Her voice came out stern, but her tone was already beginning to waver. "I went home to tell them. I was going to… I just couldn't. Ruby just made it into Beacon two days ago." She took a sip from the glass after recalling that fact. "She made it in, and I couldn't even do it. They were going to celebrate with a big dinner tonight, and then I was going to come home…"

Junior thought he understood the summary and decided to finish it before tears stained his countertop. "You didn't want to ruin her night. That's very big of you."

Yang shook her head. "No, it wasn't that." She took another small sip to continue her path towards forgetting. "I didn't think I deserved what was going to happen when I opened that door." She shook her head and Junior discretely passed her a few napkins to dry her eyes. "They were going to give me hugs and tell me everything would be okay. Then Summer would tell me about how she would talk with Ozpin, or something so that he would reconsider. I know them. They would want to help out in anyway they can." She downed the last of her second drink. "I don't deserve it. I couldn't make it in by myself. I failed."

"And now you're here." Junior finished for her. He let her drink in silence for a few minutes. As he filled up another glass for her, an abrupt stop to the music caught his attention. He passed Yang her drink and looked to find the source of the interruption. When he found it, he grabbed his weapon from behind the counter and held it against his hip. "You keep drinking, Blondie. I'll make sure you get back home tonight. I have to deal with something."

* * *

Neo looked up from her scroll. Junior's club stood before her with blaring music and flashing lights. She had never liked places like it. They were full of drunks and dancers who would shout over the loud music in an attempt to communicate. It made getting her point across to others in a non-violent way… difficult.

She shook her head and looked back to her scroll. No matter how much she hated it, she had to go in. The owner would have answers for her. Roman had always said that he was a great stop for information. While he would never give that compliment to the man, Neo knew that Roman's praise didn't come unmerited. This 'Junior' would be able to tell her about the girl in red. The news had only given her a name, Ruby Rose.

As Neo entered into the club, two bouncers gave her a once over. A quick glare with red eyes forced any thoughts they had straight out of their heads. She watched as one fumbled with his black hat and glasses in an effort to compose himself. Normally, instilling that kind of fear in someone so much bigger than her would bring a smile to her face. Today, she was in no mood for any sort of altercation with flirts. Especially second-rate henchmen.

Almost on cue, Junior's 'first-rates' strode their way over from a dark corner of the club. Both wore corset dresses that fell just above the knee. Their thigh-high boots and tall heels weren't unlike her own, but their choice of coloring made them stand out so much it was almost laughable.

The one in red spoke up first. "Well, hello there." She cooed. "I didn't expect to see any of Roman's people around here for a while."

"I mean, he is kinda locked up." The one in white finished as she shifted to Neo's opposite side. "I figured all of his people would get up and leave without the big boss around anymore."

Neo kept moving while glaring at the girls on either side of her. All it would take is a few simple steps to have them both silent and on the ground. That wasn't an option though. At least, not until she got what she came for. Neo pulled out her scroll from her pocket and began typing. She held it in front of the girl in white's face.

"Oh? You need information on someone?" Neo shot another glare the girls mocking tone.

"Oh, let me guess, you want to know about the girl in red! The one that got Roman locked up in the first place." The other chimed in. "Well, I'm afraid we can't do that! At least, not without some lien!"

Neo pulled a card out of her pocket and waved it in the girl in red's face. When the girl reached for it, Neo pulled it away from her and smirked at the annoyed look she received. It felt good to have a similar reach to one of her opponents. It made playing with them that much more fun.

When the card fell back into her pocket, Neo pointed at the sign over the bar highlighting the clubs name. Both girls turned to face it, and immediately understood the meaning. The girl in white took note of their boss talking with the blonde at the counter and shook her head. "I'm afraid Junior is busy. Tonight, you can work with Miltia and I."

Neo snarled. She did not walk into this filthy club to be helped BY the help. Her hand reached towards her weapon. She was in no mood to play games with the two girls. Perhaps violence was the best way to get her point across, just this once.

Both girls immediately recognized the girl getting ready to arm herself. They jumped back a few feet to their sides, and suddenly all attention was on them. Neo gave them both a simple coy smile. The music of the club abruptly stopped, and all attention turned towards them. "Hold it!" A low booming voice called out. "Melanie. Miltia. What are you two… Oh…" Junior finally made it to the scene and stopped in his tracks when Neo came into view. "It's you." He said in a flat tone. "I thought we were done with Roman. We gave him his men. What do you want now?"

Neo typed at her scroll and held up a picture and a message to go with it. "Do I know this girl?" Junior read out loud. He scanned the image of the girl on the screen. Red cloak, black hair with red highlights, silver eyes… "No. I've never seen her before." He said almost a little too quickly.

Neo caught the lie. She was well aware that Junior knew more information about the girl. He had details on nearly everyone worthwhile in the city. With a click of her scroll, the image of the girl disappeared. She placed it in her pocket and took a deep breath.

"Is that all you wanted?" Junior asked with a bit of hope coming out. He was answered by a kick to the jaw.

Melanie quickly retaliated with a kick, but caught nothing more than the pole of a parasol. Neo directed the kick upwards and used the opening to deliver another kick to the back of the girl's head. With a flip in place, Neo landed gracefully in front of Miltia just in time to dodge out of the way of her claws. She gave the girl a smirk as she continuously swiped and missed her target. Neo was simply too fast for the girl to hit. After one clumsy strike, Neo managed to swing her leg underneath the girl and trip her by the ankle. The stumble cost Miltia a bit more when a heel crashed against the back of her head during the fall.

Junior forced himself to his feet only to see the girl twirling her parasol over her shoulder. Both of his girls seemed to be unconscious on either side of her. Junior realized the danger and reached for his bat to defend himself. In that brief moment, he didn't see Neo reach for the handle of her weapon. There was no way he could see the small blade that was pulled out of it. When his eyes focused back on his enemy, her sword was nearly to his throat. Junior's eyes went wide, and a gunshot rang out.

Neo toppled across the club. The remaining patrons screamed as she skidded across the dancefloor. When she finally came to a stop, Neo tried to spring to her feet. The quick motion was disorientating, but she had to find out what had just happened. Junior was in her sights, and the other two were out cold… What had hit her?

When the blur from her vision cleared, a new figure appeared. She was tall, with short blonde hair. She wore a brown jacket with a burnt orange shirt that fell to her hips over her black jeans. Neo sneered. She hadn't expected another one. When the metal gauntlets on her attackers wrists caught her attention, Neo started thinking of the best way out of the building. She thought she had been prepared, she hadn't expected a huntress.

* * *

Yang watched as the girl shattered before her eyes. When nothing tried to attack her, she stumbled forward a few feet. Junior caught her before she fell to the ground and helped her to a seat. "Damn Blondie, where did you learn to hold your booze?"

Yang groaned at him as the world kept spinning. "I don't knnnow…" She slurred. "It was eggnough to shave your dumbass."

Junior shook his head as he went to help up Melanie and Miltia to some of the nearby booths. "Okay. I'll give you that." He called out as he ran to the bar for some ice. "I guess I owe you one."

"Yourrrare damn right!" Yang responded. "And don't chu forget it!"

* * *

Yang wasn't sure how she had made it home. She only knew that her head hurt, the world was spinning, and that somehow she had managed to stay tucked into her bed. Wait… tucked into bed? She groaned again. Summer was going to have her head for this. She had missed Ruby's special dinner, hadn't called, and had somehow made it home in this state.

Yang's eyes went wide. Ruby's dinner… They were going to celebrate her making it into Beacon. She gripped her pillow and pulled it over her head. She had managed to forget for a few hours, but everything was picking up right where she had left it. Yang felt the tears start to well up when a pounding noise sounded at her door.

She pulled the pillow closer to her ears to try and make it stop. Even though she knew it was just a knock, the sounds continued to rattle inside her head. Adding to her suffering, the door slid open. "Yang? Are you awake? You got mail."

"Ruby… I don't want it." She tried to argue.

"But Yang… It's from Ozpin…" Ruby tried to speak softly for her sister's sake, but the excitement in her voice was still apparent.

The dread continued to creep over Yang. "Ruby… stop. Please. I don't want to see it." Her voice started to crack the more she spoke.

"Y…Yang? Don't you want to know if you got in or not?"

Sniffles could be heard from under the pillow. "Why? So I can hear I didn't make it in?"

Ruby's voice came back confused. "Not make it in? What? Why wouldn't you make it in?"

Yang rolled over to face her window. "Because I didn't make it in, Ruby. I got the letter. I read it!"

Ruby just laughed. "Yang, you must've had a nightmare or something! It says right here that you made it in!"

Yang's sniffling stopped immediately and she turned to her sister. "Wha… what?"

Ruby smiled and held out a few pieces of mail in front of her. "I didn't mean to open it. I saw it was from Beacon and I may have gotten a bit too excited… I'm sorry."

Yang gently tugged the letter out from Ruby's hand. She unfolded the paper and began to read.

 _Ms. Xiao Long, we are pleased to inform you that your application to Beacon has been accepted._

Yang stared at the first sentence in amazement. "I'm… I got in?"

Two arms reached around her shoulders and pulled her in tightly. "You did it, Yang! You got accepted! I'm so happy for you!"

Yang returned the hug, but continued to stare at the letter in amazement. How had this happened? She had read her denial. What had changed? When Ruby finally let go from the embrace, her eyes went wide. "Oh, you have to tell mom! She's going to be so excited!"

Rose petals flew as she raced back downstairs. Yang watched in a stunned state as they all fell in front of her. With all the blurred colors taking up her vision, she almost missed the second letter that glided to the foot of her bed. When she finally snapped out of her colorful trance, she reached for it. The envelope was unaddressed and blank, but held a letter inside. Whoever had sent it had delivered it in person. She unfolded the second piece of paper and a few small tears formed in her eyes.

-Blondie,

I suppose this makes us even. You earned it.

-J

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Yes, I did decided to continue this story a bit! With the amount of subtle changes that would occur if Summer lived, I felt like I could make this a reoccurring story in these prompt shorts. It won't be every week, but on the occasion that a prompt sounds like it would fit into this story, I'll let it take it where it wants to go. In other words, I'm going to let this story arc be a completely prompt driven story!**

 **I hope you enjoyed! And as always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	21. Challenge! The Grimm Plague

**CC8 – A mysterious plague begins to sicken the Grimm, which eventually die from it. However, anyone they bite or scratch becomes infected as well.**

* * *

The sounds of claws dragging against wood could be heard all throughout the small village of Kratmons. A normal Grimm attack might have wiped their town clear of life by this point. Instead, their unusual enemies had gathered in mass just outside their gates. Each one took their time clawing at the barriers between them and their prey, only for them to topple over and disappear into a cold black smoke with the next one in line sluggishly taking its place.

To the villagers, it hardly mattered that some of the Grimm died from exhaustion. All that mattered was the pained groans and growls that had been haunting them for hours. Occasionally, there would be a crack. A horrific sound of splitting wood from the walls that protected the town. Every man, woman and child would flinch at the noise, each one thinking that it would spell the end.

The end never came. Just more dragging of bone against increasingly weaker wood. A little boy held onto his father for fear of what might happen next. His dad had tried to reassure him that Mistral airships were on the way. They had managed to send a message to the town of an immediate evacuation plan. They would be arriving soon. They would take everyone in the town behind their defenses. They would be saved.

His father would never tell him that the message had been received over two weeks ago.

A few weeks before that, increasingly terrifying stories had been passed from their neighboring settlements. At first, nobody in Kratmons had paid the rumors any mind. Who would ever believe that a horde of Grimm were dying on their own? It was unheard of. It took trained warriors to wipe the beasts of hate and malice away from the world. Time allowed the Grimm to grow in size and strength, not wither them down to nothing. It made no sense.

Then the letter arrived. Mistral had confirmed the eradication of two of the largest settlements outside of their walls. They had demanded that all citizens take refuge under any protection they had while airships were sent out to collect them. Under no circumstances were they to defend themselves against the Grimm.

A snap rang out from outside of the town hall. A board flew past the buildings door, and the growls grew louder. The little boy buried his head into his father's chest and began sobbing as faded red eyes glared at the refugees. Everyone that could hold up a weapon tried their best to defend themselves against the beowolves. To their surprise, their defense seemed to be working. The beasts simply snarled as they limped forward.

Spears and arrows began to connect with the front line of Grimm. Those in range were impaled as more spilled over their decaying bodies. Despite everything they were doing to defend themselves, the villagers were simply too outnumbered by the horde to hold the line. There was a scream of a man with a sword and shield. His leg bled blackened blood as he sliced through two more Grimm in his path. As he moved, the excruciating pain continued to seep through his wound and up towards the rest of his body. Quickly, three strikes became one in the same amount of time. A few more minutes passed and his attacks began to miss their target entirely.

A woman looked at him with tear-filled eyes and screamed his name. The words never made it to him before his body collapsed on the floor. Everyone could see his dark brown eyes glossed over with the same black that radiated from the creatures he fought.

Fear overtook the remaining villagers. There seemed to be no end to the onslaught of Grimm. Just a simple mistake would ensure that they would never live to see it, if it even existed. Screams from some of the children called out to their parents. Sobs and wails from them deafened ears to the whirring sounds just outside the building.

There was an explosion. Bright red fire engulfed the front of the hall, and charred the bodies of black that resided there. A man outside called for support, and bullets rained down behind him. As the Grimm horde was eviscerated, he yelled at the remaining survivors to follow him. The airship had finally made it! They were going to be saved!

What they weren't prepared for was the path to their evacuation. The man rescuing them wore all white and carried nothing more than a revolver as a weapon. Each shot he fired seemed to explode on impact as the creatures of Grimm were ripped to shreds before their eyes. Each one of the villagers raced for the white bullhead that would bring them to safety as the man continued to fight for their lives.

One Grimm pounced at the crowd. After seeing so many sluggish opponents, the villagers stood petrified to the flying attack. There was a yell out in agony as it swiped at its prey. The man in white had taken the blow to his chest in a last ditch attempt to shield the survivors. Another gunshot rang out, and the cause of his pain evaporated before their eyes.

The man tried to fight, but felt the wound on his chest begin to spill down to his pants. He grasped at it to feel for signs of blood, and was met with a cold blackness. With the last of his strength, he pulled himself onto the bullhead behind the villagers. The whirring picked up and liftoff was achieved with as many lives aboard as they could manage.

The hero dropped his pistol on the bullhead's floor. His vision was fading along with his strength, but he could see just enough to make out a man climbing over top of him. There was a searing pain on his chest and then a second on his leg. In all the action, he hadn't even felt the gash that had run across his thigh. He heard a voice tell him that everything would be okay. He had never known cauterizing wounds to be a good sign of that.

* * *

Winter stared at the general horror-stricken. She knew the man had been tense as of late. This new information showed that the emotions he displayed were only a small portion of the ones he held inside. She allowed the classified files to find their way back into their folder before readjusting herself to sit straight in her seat. "Do you have any other questions for me, Specialist Schnee?"

Winter froze in her seat. She had been sent to ask about the closed borders on her father's behalf. There was no way she could have prepared for any of this. The man's blue eyes continued to bore into her from his side of the desk. After giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts, and her composure, Winter found her question. "If all this is true, where did this plague come from? I've never heard of anything like it."

Ironwood's stare harshened at the question. "It was created." His words did a poor job to hide his hatred towards the topic. "Atlas scientists were tasked with creating a chemical to use against the Grimm by our previous general. When a prototype was created, he demanded it be tested in the field for practical use."

Winter's pale skin reflected a nasty green at the thought. "Atlas released this plague onto Mistral?" She shook her head. "We were at peace with them! Why would we…"

"Because peace doesn't last, Winter." Ironwood pointed at the map in front of him. "Mistral was one of our great enemies during the war. With a continent so large, it was decided that Anima was the best place to test on hordes of Grimm. There was supposed to be no side effects, but if there were, they were not to be near Atlas borders."

Winter shook her head. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with closing our borders now? That was years ago. Surely we must have some kind of antidote to the Grimm that have already been affected."

Ironwood's metal hand splintered the desk in front of him when it slammed against its surface. "We had our solution. It was supposed to be combat ready!" From Winter's wide eyes, Ironwood recognized that he had once again gone too far. He carefully pulled his hand out of the crevice it had left in the wooden desk. He stared at it for just a moment, taking in the state of the art technology that had saved his life that day. At one time, he had been considered a hero in Mistral for what he had done. If only they were aware of the full truth.

Ironwood stood from his chair and turned to look through a window facing the vast snowy mountains that surrounded them. The borders had to remain closed. They needed more time to fix what they had done. He reached for his shaking hand with his metal one. His words spoken softly to hide his fear in front of his subordinate. "The borders are to remain closed because of 'trade regulations' during this time. If your father continues to have a problem with that, let him know that I will be the first one to bring his ships down."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **This months challenge prompt is brought to you by Shandromand! Clearly, they were in the mood for something a bit scary/creepy, and I hope my idea for the prompt met that expectation!**

 **Along with this entry, I've decided to talk a little about my thought process when thinking up how to respond to a prompt. So let's get into my head for a minute!**

 **When I first read the prompt, my mind immediately started thinking of a zombie apocalypse situation. You have a mysterious plague that is killing off Grimm in a way that has never been seen before, and you have their ability to effect others with the plague. The thing that I took note of was how Shand gave me the ability to decide how long 'eventually' was when it comes to the Grimm dying from their disease.**

 **So we have 'zombie' Grimm. That's cool. How did they get there? When it comes to weird things happening from canon, I feel like there are two sources that can never be wrong. Atlas, and magic. There are more possibilities, like dust, but most of them fall under the 'magic' category in my mind. Personally, I don't like using magic. It feels kinda cheap to use because it allows for literally anything to be done. In my mind it makes it a tool that can be overused very easily. Now, there are some worlds like Harry Potter where this makes sense. In RWBY, however, magic is much more rare, so using it all over the place doesn't make a whole lot of sense. That's not going to be true for every prompt, but in this case, Atlas seems like a much better choice.**

 **So we have zombie Grimm and Atlas involvement. By this point I start looking at where in the story my ideas would fit. When I looked at the prompt a second time for more ideas, I kept coming back to the ability to pass on the plague. With huntsmen having aura to protect them, I felt like it made more sense for the Grimm to go after normal civilians. It makes the story far more tense when characters can actually be killed off. Considering the baseline for the story is 'Zombie Apocalypse', tense is a good thing.**

 **So now we have the inner workings of the story! A lot of it might seem pretty straight forward, but I thought doing this might be interesting to some of the readers on here! As we are now at 21 chapters and about 6000 views, I hope you all have been able to see some form of improvement in these stories week after week! I'm honored that you all have taken the time to read the things that have come to my head, and I hope I will continue to make them fun to read!**

 **On to the next chapter!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	22. Fun Drunk Auntie Pyrrha AU

**Prompt – A Fun-Drunk-Auntie-Pyrrha AU that takes place in the future when the current cast is all grown up.**

* * *

"Oh, you kids are gonna have so much fun!" Jaune called out to the twins. "I better hear that you were on your best behavior for Auntie Pyrrha!"

Shan simply scoffed at his father. "Dad, Lueur and I are teenagers now. We haven't had an 'Auntie' since we were five. We have 'Aunts'."

"Yeah!" His sister shouted in agreement. "Besides, mom lets us call Auntie Ruby by her first name!" Jaune gave his daughter a perplexed look. Her blue eyes and long blonde hair would easily tell the world that she was one of his kids. If that hadn't made it obvious enough, her consistent ability to trip up on her own words would make it clear.

Shan stared at his sister with an open mouth. "No wonder everyone still thinks we're kids! Do you ever remember to take your foot out of your mouth?"

A hand tussling his wavy blond hair cut his belittling short. The scent of wine drifted across the boy's nose and he spun around to face his unexpected enemy. "There's a good chance it's hereditary, Shan." His 'enemy' spoke out. His lilac eyes locked onto green as the person spoke. "It's a shame that you missed out on it! I always used to think it was cute!"

The boy's shoulders sagged at the comment. "Aunt Pyrrha…" He said with a whining voice. "I thought you were supposed to always be on my side…"

Lueur giggled to his right before recognizing that her Aunt's jab extended to her as well. "H…Hey!"

Jaune and Pyrrha laughed at the kids before Jaune embraced Pyrrha in a hug. "Pyrrha! Are you ready for your day alone with the kids?"

Pyrrha took a sip from the glass in her hand and waved it daintily in front of the blond. "I'm working on it!" She said as she turned to the kids with a smile. "You two are the last ones to make it here, so get in there quick! I know Pan has been waiting for you!"

The two blonds nodded and sprinted towards the door of the cabin. When Lueur stepped on the back of Shan's shoes and tripped, Pyrrha and Jaune could only shake their heads and laugh. "Pyrrha, are you sure you're gonna be okay with those four all day?"

Pyrrha laughed at her old partner. "Oh, I'll be fine." She said with a smile. "Besides, you heard Lueur… Apparently, Ruby has pulled ahead of me as the best Aunt! I won't be having that!"

Jaune rolled his eyes at her with a smile. "The Invincible Girl's greatest challenge… winning over the hearts of teenagers!"

Pyrrha gave him a smirk for the sarcasm in his voice. "Oh, please. You go enjoy your date night. Leave the kids to me!"

* * *

Pyrrha peered at all the kids from the kitchen. Shan and Lueur were back to their normal banter, much to the expense of the latter. Next to them, Pan bounced in his seat on the couch as he watched the two bicker. Pyrrha chuckled a bit at the sight. The pudgy faced boy was wearing an old dark green tailcoat that would have made him the spitting image of his dad. Would have, if not for the mismatched pink sandals on his feet and the wide smile on his face as he laughed aloud at one of his friend's jokes.

While their antics continued, the fourth member of their group sat off to the side without a word. Pyrrha poured herself another glass of wine as she studied the girl. Clara had sure grown up since the last time she had visited. She was currently sitting prim and proper, despite being seated in a lounging chair. Her white hair was sparkling down her back without a single split-end to be seen. She was a beautiful young woman, which is why Pyrrha wondered about her new choice of outfit. Black was a jarring difference from the days the girl wore white from head to toe.

After another particularly harsh insult, Clara rolled her eyes at the rest of the party. She seemed so much like… Pyrrha frowned at her thoughts. Of course Clara acted like Weiss and Blake at Beacon. There had to be something more than that though. The last time she had seen the girl she had at least talked with everyone! With another sip from her glass, Pyrrha made her way towards her target.

She had gotten within four feet of Clara when her cat ears perked up to the sounds of her steps. The girl's head turned slightly, and a bright blue eye met Pyrrha's feet. "Can I help you?" The girl asked with the slightest bit of snark.

Pyrrha laughed and proceeded to gently scratch behind one of the girl's white ears. "You know, some people enjoy talking to their company." Clara gave off an audible sigh and sunk back into the chair. "Oh please, Clara. You knew that I'd come and bother you eventually. So let's hear it! What's on your mind?"

Clara rolled her eyes and turned to face away from her aunt. "It's nothing." She responded flatly.

As she turned, Pyrrha took note of a shining metal ball that held itself at the top of the girl's ear. She reached for it and let it roll at the end of her finger. "Oh, well this is new. Do either one of your moms know that you got your ear pierced?"

A hand shot up and pushed Pyrrha's away. "No. Neither one of them noticed." Pyrrha noted the slight bit of pain in Clara's voice as she spoke.

"I see." She said while thinking on the girl's words. After a moment of silence, Pyrrha finished off her glass of wine and sighed. "I was never very good at getting the attention of others."

Clara's ear perked up on her head while she continued to bury herself into the chair. "What do you know about not getting other's attention? Mom told me that you used to be Mistral's champion fighter! She even said you won the Vytal Festival tournament!"

Pyrrha nodded to her words. "That's very true, Clara. But did she ever tell you of how I repeatedly failed to get your Uncle Jaune's attention?"

Two white ears shot up and the room went silent. Suddenly, Pyrrha felt three new sets of eyes boring into her. "Ahhh… I guess your parents all failed to mention that one, huh?" At that, Clara turned around to give her Aunt her full attention.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes at the group. "Ohhh, but I'm sure that's a boring story for you all. No sense in talking about twenty year old gossip about your parents…"

"Wait!" Lueur called out. "I wanna hear about my parents! What do you mean you tried to get my dad's attention? Did you have a crush on my dad, Auntie?"

Shan scoffed at his sister's use of that word again, but conceded his attention back to Pyrrha. "Yeah, I'm with Lueur. Spill the beans lady!"

"Pleeeeaasseeee!" Pan called out from besides them. Pyrrha could see him struggling to keep still with his excitement.

"Oh, I don't know…" Pyrrha teased. "I think the wine might be getting to me… I've already spoken far too much…"

Pan, Lueur, and Shan each jumped from their seats in a mad scramble to find the wine bottle so that they could refill her glass. "Quick! Before she changes the subject!" Shan yelled out.

Clara just shook her head at their antics and giggled. "Dolts…" She said with a new found smile.

* * *

With another glass of wine in hand, Pyrrha captivated her audience with all kinds of stories of team RWBY and team JNPR. They ranged from the hard fought victories against the creatures of Grimm, to the constant battle for Jaune's attention that Pyrrha continued to lose while at Beacon, to the funny moments of Nora scarfing down pancakes, and catching Weiss singing in the girl's showers. To Pyrrha's surprise, the kids hung on every word. Surely, each one of them was savoring every juicy detail to hold over their parents, but those stories would have made it out at some point anyway.

When the stories ended, each child couldn't stop talking about their favorite one. Pan focused on his mother's habit of devouring her favorite meal. "I can't believe my mom has always loved pancakes so much! I mean, the ones my dad makes are pretty good… I guess I just never realized it was that bad! "

Shan gave him a smirk. "Yeah? And how often does your mom mention wanting to eat you up?"

Pan thought on it for a second. "All the time! She says it's because I'm so cute!"

"Uh huh…" Shan smiled. "I'd be careful if I were you, PAN."

Pan's eyes went wide. "MY MOM'S GONNA EAT ME!"

Pyrrha shook her head at him. "I'm sure you're going to be just fine! She just wanted to make sure she named you after her favorite thing in the whole wide world!"

Pan blushed and hid his face in his hands. The others let out a few giggles at his embarrassment until Clara finally spoke up. "So, wait. You're telling me my mom used to sing? Since when does my mom sing?"

Pyrrha looked awestruck. "You mean to tell me that you've never heard Weiss sing? She used to be known across Remnant for her voice!"

Clara's eyes went wide at the new information. "Yeah!" Lueur called out. "My mom always said Auntie Blake could make Auntie Weiss sing for her!"

Clara's face shifted from astonished to horrified faster than Pyrrha thought possible. "Ahh… Umm… Lueur, are you sure you don't mean that Aunt Weiss would sing 'for' Aunt Blake?" Pyrrha hastily replied.

"Umm… Nope! I'm pretty sure I remember my mom's exact words!"

With that, Pyrrha brought her palm to her face. "Dammit, Yang…" She whispered under her breath.

Clara seemed shaken for a moment, but managed to recover after remembering just how outspoken her Aunt Yang could be. "So, wait. What you're telling me is that my mom can sing too?"

Everyone's attention honed in on the faunus. "Yes…" Pyrrha began. "But what do you mean by 'too'? Is there a hidden talent that you've been keeping from us, Clara?"

Clara's pale skin did nothing to hide her blush. "Well… I used to practice all the time, but my parents were so busy that they never heard me. So I just kinda stopped…"

"Shan, get the guitar in the back room!" Pyrrha demanded. "We're gonna need some music for Clara! She's just volunteered herself to sing for us!"

Shan nodded his head and ran for the instrument while a mortified Clara tried to hide in the crevice of her chair. The more she tried to bury herself in its cushions, the more she felt a slight tug along her ear. She reached for the earring, but it was too late. The metal ball was pulled with just enough force to make it uncomfortable to stay in her hiding space.

Pyrrha gave the girl a mischievous smile as her semblance's hold on the earring gave way. "Come on now, Clara. We all want to hear that lovely voice of yours!"

The girl mumbled a response under her breath, but it was lost to the others as Shan burst through the doors strumming on a guitar. "Clllaaarrrraaaaa!" He sang out to her. "It's showtime!"

The group watched as Clara's face tried to hold a frown, but eventually broke into a smile with giggles accompanying it. "Okay, okay. I'll sing you a song." She said as the laughter subsided. "But just one!" She quickly clarified.

"Of course." Pyrrha said smiling. "Shan, would you start off our show?" Shan nodded and started strumming some of the chords he had learned from his father. It wasn't long before a voice joined in. It started off weak and nervous as it found its footing in front of the crowd, but began to grow when her audience cheered her on with their full attention. Pyrrha had to admit, Clara's song might have been even better than her mom.

When it finally came to an end, everyone applauded the girl with whistles and yelling. Clara went to bow when a voice called out from the door to the cabin. "Who got Weiss to sing in our… Wait, Clara? Was that you!?"

Everybody turned to face the intruder, and an eruption of screams broke out the second the kids recognized the woman's face. "Aunt Ruby!" Three voices called out.

There was a thud as the woman was tackled to the floor from the weight of three separate hugs. "Owww… It's nice to see you all too…" She said groaning in pain.

As the three kids continued to pin Ruby to the floor, Pyrrha felt the arms of a girl wrap around her back. "Thank you for listening, Aunt Pyrrha. It really meant a lot to me." Clara said in a soft voice.

Pyrrha held the girls hands and squeezed them tightly. "Of course, Clara! You should really sing to your mothers. I'm sure they would love it."

Clara nodded her head in her Aunt's back. "Yeah… Okay. Hopefully they'll have enough time to listen…"

Pyrrha twisted herself to meet the girl's eyes. "Trust me, Clara. If they don't, Auntie Pyrrha is going to make them listen."

A smile grew on the girl's face and she nodded her head once again. "Thank you." She whispered out.

Pyrrha shook her head. "Okay, okay. Enough thanking me!" She said smirking at the girl. "You should say hi to your Aunt Ruby. It looks like she can almost breathe in that dogpile!"

Clara laughed. "Well I suppose we can't have that, can we?" The arms around Pyrrha lifted off, and a moment later the cabin filled with more groans and laughter as the faunus came flying into the pile.

* * *

Pyrrha and Ruby watched as Clara walked to the white bullhead with Blake and Weiss. At first, Clara said nothing to her parents when asked about what had happened with her Aunt all day. That is, until there was another sharp tug from the metal on her ear. From what the two woman could tell, it looked like Weiss had taken it well. That is, if hopping up in down in excitement could be considered 'well' for Weiss. Blake seemed to put a palm to her forehead. Something about the action reminded both onlookers of whenever Blake had been trying to read while Weiss was in the shower at Beacon.

With all of the kids finally gone, Pyrrha released a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. "Well well well…" Ruby teased. "It looks like someone managed to steal one of my 'favorite Aunt' titles…"

Pyrrha brought a hand to the back of her head nervously. "Yeah… I guess I got to be the fun Aunt for once."

Ruby nodded her head. "Uh huh… And it had nothing to do with the empty bottle of wine on the counter, right?" Pyrrha failed to hide a blush at the comment. "Uh huh. That's what I thought!"

Ruby turned to face Pyrrha and stood on her tiptoes to give the much taller girl a kiss. "Well, I guess you do well with kids with a few glasses in you!" A small smirk formed on her face as she gave Pyrrha one more peck on the lips. "Who knows, maybe if I get you a few more glasses I'll be able to convince you to get one for ourselves…"

Pyrrha froze in place as Ruby innocently skipped into their home, a few rose petals falling behind her as she made her way inside.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hi Everyone!**

 **So this prompt was a fun one! As you can see, there were a lot of children running around, and probably not the ones you might expect! When I went to write for this prompt, there were three other writers who planned to touch on the RWBY and JNPR kids, so we each picked different character pairs to have children. I got Renora, Dragonslayer, Monochrome, and Milk and Cereal from the list, and I immediately started looking for names.**

 **So, we have Lueur for our YangxJaune girl. Lueur sounded so pretty to me, and according to google, roughly translates into 'glow' in french. Her brother Shan has the Chinese background name that, again, roughly translates into 'flash'. So far so good? I think they make good names for the golden couple's kids! Especially Yang's...**

 **Next on the list is Pan. This one may come as no surprise, but it is a word that many languages use for 'bread'. I thought it would fit wonderfully with Ren and Nora's shorter names, and with the added tie-in to when young Nora fights for her moldy bread in the show. Plus, pancakes.**

 **Finally, we have Clara. When it comes to Belladonna and Schnee as last names, I decided to go the German route. I think Clara is a pretty name, and with a loose translation to 'clear', I think it fits the parents quite well. I mean, just by being together they would both essentially be starting over their lives and family names with a clean slate.**

 **So the names were decided and it came time to actually write the story. After all that planning, I blanked on the prompt. I didn't want to throw away my work, so I decided to just write and see where the story lead me. So, this is the result! As you can see, I opted to try to make a story that was as sweet as possible for the reader. So hopefully you felt fuzzy inside, or found a smile on your face after reading. That would show that I managed to pull it off!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	23. Jaune's Final Battle Proposal

**Prompt - Jaune proposes in the middle of the final battle ala Priates of the Caribbean.**

* * *

The skies tried to fight back the darkness seeping out from Salem's fortress. As more gunshots rang out towards the never-ending onslaught of Grimm, it began to feel like it would only be a matter of time before the sky would shine its last light of the sun. That feeling of dread, the almost certainty of demise broke the final barrier in his mind. He couldn't wait a second longer. That second could be his very last.

Jaune sliced through yet another Beowolf. His aching muscles accounted for at least thirty others, which agreed with the cloud of dissolving black smoke surrounding him. With numbers like that, he should have been focused on the next kill. He should be preparing for yet another attack. The fears of danger failed to enter his mind. All he cared about was finding her.

On his right, a large Grimm flew into the dirt with explosive force. A fiery blonde quickly followed it with a scream in anger, diving at its torso. As she pounded at the chest of the Ursa, a nevermore took its opportunity to strike. It flew down towards the unsuspecting girl with its claws readying to dig straight into her back. It had nearly closed the distance when a ribbon caught its neck. A quick shot from the weapon tied to it severed the creature clean.

Yang finished her attack when the Ursa finally disappeared into the dirt. Jaune was surprised when her red eyes bored into his blue, but was taken aback when she drew him away from his search with a shot from her gauntlets. Behind him, a Beowolf flew back into the dirt. "What the hell are you doing?" The blonde yelled at him.

Jaune wasn't sure what to make of the question. His task seemed so obvious in his head, but he hadn't thought of what anyone else might think. "I need to find Pyrrha!" He yelled back. "I need to tell her how I really feel about her!"

Yang's red eyes no longer matched her agape mouth. "Are you kidding me? You picked now of all times?"

Jaune stabbed his sword through the recovering Grimm before turning back to Yang. "Yes, Yang! It has to be now!"

Yang made to tell the boy off, but her partner managed to voice over her. "Jaune! She's this way!" A few more bullets rang from Gambol Shroud as she summoned him towards her. "Yang, help me clear a path!"

Yang rolled her eyes and looked in Jaune's direction once more. "You better hurry up, lady killer. I'm giving you one shot, and you better not mess it up!" No sooner had she finished then her gauntlets had fired off once again. There was a whirl of yellow as the girl flew forward to rejoin the fight with Blake.

Jaune held Crocea Mors at his side and took a deep breath. "Now or never." He whispered to no one. His feet already preparing for the gauntlet of Grimm in his path.

* * *

The trio had only been fighting for a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. Each attack left scars on their aura, tired muscles, and ever shortening ammo supplies. Jaune huffed as yet another Beowolf slid down his sword. How much further would they need to go? How many Grimm could Salem possibly have?

He brought up a shield to defend against an Ursa's swiping claws, but was thrown to the dirt. He could feel his back scratch against the hard ground, skidding against it for nearly twenty feet before coming to a halt. The damage was a clear sign that his aura was reaching the end of its supply. He groaned in pain and attempted to stand to his feet, but before he had even managed to plant them in the ground, the towering Grimm cast its shadow over top of him.

Jaune heaved his shield forward towards his face in order to block the worst of its attack. It would do nothing to help the pain that was about to be inflicted, but hiding behind the shield brought comfort in knowing he had tried. He closed his eyes and heard the sound of metal straining against its target. It should have felt forceful on his shield. He should have been in agony. Instead, a thud from the Grimm falling on its back echoed from just in front of him. When Jaune opened his eyes from behind the shield, he could see his savior's glow from just around its edges. Its orange hue was distinctive to only one person in the world. The first person to ever be revived through the relic of creation.

His shield clattered to its side. It had been his protection from the war, but not it stood in the way of his one and only goal. His blue eyes met with Pyrrha's green. Even with the constant shining orange surrounding her, those beautiful eyes managed to radiate through it.

Jaune took her hand and was hoisted to his feet. "Jaune, are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" The girl asked as her worried eyes scanned his body for damage.

Jaune could only smile at the girl. Just one look of the woman drained the pain of battle away, and refreshed the warmth in his chest more than any medicine and rest could. "I love you, Pyr!"

The girl's eyes turned to saucers at the admission. "Jaune… I… I don't know what to say…" The glow from her body failed to hide the blush forming on her cheeks.

"You could say you love me too." Jaune offered.

Pyrrha's knees began to shake. "Jaune…" She went to tell him. She had to finally let it out. She made to speak, but a snarl from a Beowolf stopped her from going any further.

Pyrrha's eyes became slits as she swung at the beast. There would be no interruptions. This was her moment to finally tell Jaune how she felt. Nothing would stand in her way. Certainly not the Grimm. Jaune must have felt the same way as his sword slayed a Beowolf of its own.

"I love you too!" Pyrrha called out from her side of the battle. More Grimm flew at both of them, but they stood no chance against the rejuvenated pair.

Pyrrha's words rocked through Jaune as he readied himself for the next step. "Pyr, you have no idea what that means to me!" A few more swings brought down a small Ursa who had dared to stand in his path. "I know it might not be the best time…" He grunted as a Beowolf came into contact with the end of his blade. "But Pyrrha Nikos, will you marry me?"

The words took a minute to make it through her head. Pyrrha was sure they hadn't been real when they finally registered, but when she finished off her next enemy, she turned to see Jaune staring at her with those lovely blue eyes…

"Yes!" She screamed out. "Yes! I will marry you!" Her heart thumped more from those few words than from the entire battle.

Jaune had nearly collapsed just a few moments ago, but now his swings had strength and confidence behind them that he had never known before. He had completed his mission, but there was one more to finish that would require all of his drive to achieve.

His voice called out towards the near sounds of a rapid-fire weapon. "Ren! I need you to marry us!"

There was more gunshots before a confused voice called back from the distance. "You want me to what?"

"I need you to marry Pyrrha and me!"

There was more shots fired before the voice could speak up again. "I'm a little busy, Jaune!"

At that, a high caliber weapon made itself known followed by the high-pitched voice of its owner. "Ren! Get in there and help them! I'll cover you!"

"Yeah! Ruby and I can take on these guys! Now hurry up and marry them already!" Nora sounded almost giddy while yelling out the order.

No one would be able to hear the sigh of the boy in green as he cut through two more enemies to make it to his teammates. "Dearly beloved…" He spoke as he came into sight of the partners.

There was an explosion and three Grimm went flying into the air. "Louder, Ren! I want to hear this!" Nora's voice called out.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos in holy matrimony." His words now carrying over the constant sounds of metal clashing and bullets firing from all directions.

There was a pause as Ren was forced to fight another Beowolf, but a glyph at its feet pushed it away. Weiss landed between him and the Grimm before leveling her sword at its chest. "Ren, I don't think you have time for the whole thing." She lunged forward and drove her blade into the creature's chest. "I love weddings, but you may want to speed this up!"

Ren nodded and turned to face the couple who continued to fight for their lives. "Do you, Pyrrha Nikos, take Jaune Arc to be your husband, till death do you part?"

"I do!" The redhead yelled out for all to hear.

Jaune seemed to freeze at the words. "Really? You mean it, Pyr?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jaune could hear Nora scream. "Yes, she means it! Now say it back already!"

Jaune flushed at his teammate's intrusion, and listened to Ren call out the next lines. "And do you, Jaune Arc, take Pyrrha Nikos to be your wife, till death do you part?"

"I do!" He practically screamed as he drove his sword into the stomach of a Boarbatusk.

Ren smiled and raised his hands in the air. "Then I pronounce you husband and wife!" His voice carried more emotion than any of his friends had ever heard from him. "You may now kiss your bride!"

Jaune turned to face his wife when six more Grimm jumped between them. Nora yelled in frustration at the interruption, but the sounds of a sniper rifle firing droned them out. In a flash of red, Ruby barreled through the enemies with terrific speed. All six Grimm fell to pieces at their feet, and Jaune and Pyrrha took their moment to embrace.

Jaune grabbed Pyrrha's hip and pulled her close. Her lips met his and the world stopped around them. There was no sounds of dust rounds exploding into their targets. No screams from the girl in pink as she took in the sight of her teammates. No snarls from the enemies that grew closer to them with each passing second they held eachother close. There was only the bliss that the two felt for finally being able to call each other their other half.

When they finally pulled away, red rose petals fell to the ground around them. The sun shined through the darkness clouding the sky, and Pyrrha's green eyes sparkled with tears of happiness. Jaune smiled at her and gave her one more kiss on her forehead before drawing his sword. He pointed it at Salem's keep, not more than a few hundred yards away.

Pyrrha allowed herself to release from her husband's embrace. Her tear-filled eyes blinked at the sight of the man pointing his sword forward. The tears cleared, and confidence began to exude from her face. There would be no way she would allow herself not feel that sensation again, to be in her loved ones arms as he kissed her lips as her husband.

They would win this fight. They would stand against the Grimm. Salem didn't stand a chance.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **So this wasn't a regular prompt, but more of an 'ask' for a story that just happened to come as a prompt. I thought it would be fun to write for, and I think it turned out pretty well! I'm not super used to writing for action, so hopefully it reads at a good pace for you.**

 **If you read every entry I put in this story (Thank you!) I bet you must be thinking to yourself "Didn't Sh1f7er just get done saying that he doesn't like to use magic in his stories because he thinks it's a cop-out." To which I say, Damn... You read my author's notes? But also, yes, I'm a hypocrite. The person who asked for this story seemed like they would like Arkos the most out of the Jaune ships, so I did my best to oblige! I mean, using a relic that we know knowing about once in a while can't be that bad, right?**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	24. Penny Bonds With A Robot From An AU

**Prompt – Penny bonds with a robot from an alternate fictional universe.**

* * *

Fighting against the great Pyrrha Nikos was supposed to be the greatest moment of her life. It was a chance for her to finally test her skills against one of the best fighters of the generation. If she managed to win, she would be a success to both Atlas, and her 'father'. She would even be certified as the combat-ready defender of Remnant that she was always meant to be.

Penny watched as the strings from her swords wrapped around her arms once again. She could feel the pull against her aura as they wrapped tightly around her limbs… and then pulled. She winced at the screen in front of her. Her body shook against her restraints, but the solid metal bindings would not move even with her immense strength. She knew that she had to move quickly or else the next scene would show up and then…

Penny froze. The screen she was forced to watch now showed Ruby Rose collapsed on her knees. Her one true friend had tears streaming from her eyes as she watched the pile of metal crumple against the arena floor. Penny's face sagged into a deep frown. Of all the pain she should have felt from death, nothing hurt quite as bad as watching her friend cry. She didn't dare look at the screen, no matter how much her bonds tried to force her to.

"Hehehe… You should've seen your face!" A voice rang out behind her. Penny tried to turn towards the source, but the bindings kept her facing forward. "Now that the tortures all done…" The channel on the screen in front of Penny flipped over to a sports event of some kind. "Time for a break!"

Penny watched the screen with bewilderment. "Hello?" She asked to the mysterious voice. "Who are you?"

"Hey hey hey! Can't you see I'm watching something here!" There was a sound of a bottle cap falling to the ground, quickly followed by a large belch. "Just because I'm taking over for the Robo-Devil for the day doesn't mean I have to listen to your whining!"

Penny squinted as she processed the words. "The Robo-Devil? Sir, where am I?"

"HA! Sir! I don't think anyone has called me 'Sir' before!" There was another sound of a bottle cap hitting the floor and even more belching. "And what's this about not knowing the Robo-Devil? Who do you thinks been torturing you every day? Man, I remember when I was sent down to Robot Hell the first time. It took me a little while to get settled in, but I'd at least heard of the guy in charge!"

"Robot Hell?" Penny spoke softly. It wasn't meant to come out as a question, but the words came out all the same.

"Yes, Robot Hell. Are you malfunctioning or something? We've got a guy downstairs that'll fix that."

Penny watched the screen as an athlete of some kind whacked at a strange ball with a bat. Was she malfunctioning? None of her surroundings were familiar, or part of her database. She began to question it when the voice spoke up again. "So, what are you in for? I take it you must have been pretty awful to get stuck up behind those girders!"

Again, a question fell out of her mouth. "What am I in for? I don't think I understand."

There was a hearty laugh from the man. "Oh please! You know what you're in for! Was it gambling? Drinking? Pick-pocketing? Murder? Assault? Prostitution?"

Penny's eyes went wide. "Oh heavens no! I would never do any of that!"

"What!?" The voice exclaimed. "I did all of those things and I wasn't locked up nearly as bad as you!" There was a screeching of a chair as the figure got up from their seat. A few heavy steps later, the sounds of paper flying into the air filled the room. "This is a load of crap! How can you be worse than me! I have a record to maintain!"

Penny shook her head. "No, Sir. I haven't done anything against the law. My father would not allow it!"

There was another yell from the voice. "Your father? What the hell is this place? A pre-school?" The sounds of paper flying came to an end. "Ah-Ha! Alright 'Penny Polendina', let's see what could've possibly made you a better criminal than… WHAT!?"

"Sir, are you alright?" Penny asked sweetly. "I do not wish to cause you any harm with whatever it is that I have done."

Paper was shredded and the loud clanking footsteps strode towards Penny and her bindings. "You mean to tell me that the Robo-Devil put you in maximum security torture chambers because you LIED?!"

Penny hiccupped at the realization. "Oh no! My father would be so angry if he knew that I had lied! I'm so sorry, Sir! Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

A six-foot tall steel robot stepped into her vision. He was cylinder in shape, save for his head that was rounded at the top with a small pointed antenna sticking straight up out of its center. "Yeah. You can do me a favor! Bite my shiny metal ass!"

Penny gave the robot a questioning look. "But why would you want me to do that? That sounds like it could potentially do harm to your posterior!" She squinted to scan the robot a bit closer. "It also appears that you don't have a posterior I would be able to bite!"

The robot gasped into his hand. "You take that back!" He twisted his body to stare at his rear end. "It's right there! I can see it!"

"Sir, that appears to just be the end of your chassis."

The robot's eyes drooped out of their visor as he reached into his stomach and pulled out a beer bottle. He flicked the bottle cap off and proceeded to down it all as quickly as he could. The bottle fell to the floor and he pointed at the girl in front of him. "You think you're all special with you 'human' parts? Yeah, well, this is Robot Hell! There's no room for 'humans' in here!"

The robot's legs extended towards Penny's bindings and his arms bent the metal girders holding her in place away from her limbs. Even with her newfound freedom, Penny could only stare at the robot. "You… you think I'm a human? Does that mean I'm a real girl?"

"Yeah, sure." The robot said with a sniffle. "Whatever it takes to get you out of here!"

Penny's eyes went wide at that. "You're freeing me?" Her now free arms wrapped around the robot and her weight proceeded to force him to the ground. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She said as she squeezed him tight.

"Get off of me!" The robot screamed. "I swear, if this counts as assault I'm going to kill you!"

Penny gave him one last squeeze and stood to her feet. Her limbs stretched to ensure that everything was working appropriately and then she watched as the robot joined her on his feet. "Thank you so much, Sir! Is there something I can call you?"

The robot groaned and pulled his torso back into place. "The name's Bender. Now forget I ever talked to you and get out of here!"

Penny nodded her head and began running towards what appeared to be an exit to this strange world. "Thank you, Friend Bender!" She called back to him.

"Didn't I tell you to run?" Bender responded flatly.

"Yes of course!" Penny said turning the corner. "Thank you again!"

Bender simply waited for the girl to disappear. He reached into his stomach and pulled out what appeared to be giant crystals the likes of which he had never seen. "Hehhehehehehehe… Thank you!" He said with a smile.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hi Everyone!**

 **So this was an attempt at a crossover prompt that I'm a bit conflicted on. The idea to write for Bender from Futurama was a fun one, but I kept going back and forth on whether or not I did a decent job with his character. Crossovers aren't really something I plan to do a whole lot of, but I felt like I should at least try one when the prompt called for it.**

 **I know it might not be what most of you come to my stories for, but I hope you enjoyed this short story all the same.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	25. A Beach Episode

Prompt – Write a RWBY Beach Episode

* * *

 **When You're On a Holiday**

* * *

A salty ocean breeze blew across the sands of Patch's shores. The island's borders held a natural barrier of cliffs on almost all edges, but the small sand bars around their base held some of Remnant's most beautiful beaches.

" _She would've loved this."_

Jaune sat at the cliff's base looking out over the vast waters. The sun glared against the slowly rocking waves, and its heat gently blanketed his bared skin. Ruby had come up with the idea to visit Patch. He had fought her on it saying that Atlas was their sole goal and that they should see it through. It had been surprising to hear everyone else join her side.

* * *

"Comon Jaune! We've been traveling for months! We could use a vacation!" Nora's argument hadn't persuaded him.

"She's right, Jaune. We have faced peril for far too long now. Ozpin and Qrow still need time to make preparations with Atlas. We should allow ourselves the opportunity to rest." Ren had joined her too. Clearly, Ruby hadn't been working on this plan alone. When everyone else in the group turned to him for an answer, Jaune simply sighed and surrendered.

* * *

Surrender hadn't meant that he would enjoy a thing. Cinder had been missing when Yang entered the vault of spring. That information may have pleased him at the time, but now he felt a pit in his stomach for not being able to confirm her demise. He had the opportunity to do it. He could have ended the woman that had taken so much from him. Instead, he had hesitated during his one moment to strike.

He kicked the sand off his feet and stared blankly at his friends relaxing, playing, and enjoying themselves in the sun.

 _"How can they all be so happy? She might still be out there… And here we are at a beach."_

His frustration forced a frown and the daze in his mind washed away. With the numb feelings in his head clearing, he took the extra time to take in his surroundings. To his left, Blake and Weiss laid on blankets underneath an umbrella. Blake was on her stomach reading a book that she had borrowed from Ruby's father. Tai had practically thrown the thing at her when they arrived. It was obvious that he was attempting to win over Ruby and Yang's friend with the gift. Next to Blake, Weiss was sleeping in the shade. With skin that fair, it was no surprise that she hid away from the sun's rays and the burning they would surely bring. Jaune shook his head at the sight. To him, it was a calm that shouldn't exist.

Closer to the water was the rest of the group. A makeshift net was setup with a ball bouncing back and forth over it. Ren carefully set the ball just over the top for Nora to smash at their opponents. She would've succeeded too, had it not been for a robotic arm being fired just in time to reflect it back at her face. Nora fell back into the sand with a thud. Ruby, Sun and Yang joined her moments later as they failed to contain their laughter. Ren reached to help his partner up while their volleyball teammate, Ilia, scratched the back of her head at the strange friends.

The scene should've brought a smile to Jaune's face, but the hilarity failed to break his frown as the boy thought on all the wasted energy that could be used to stop the threat still looming out in the world.

 _"Don't they understand that she could still be out there? Those people… They destroyed Beacon… They brought the Grimm to Vale… They killed her…"_

The sand crunched to Jaune's right as a man carrying a large case took a seat next to him. A small dog promptly joined the man at his feet and looked up at Jaune with a smile. "Mind if I join you?" The man casually asked.

It took a moment for Jaune to respond. He couldn't quite find the words to say to Tai. Before today, he had never spoken to the man. Now, he apparently felt comfortable enough to sit next to him while he held a scowl on his face.

When there was no response, Tai chuckled a bit and settled in. "Yeah, I thought you'd at least try to get a few words in. I guess I owe Ruby her lien."

Jaune stared at him curiously. "What do you mean by that?" He asked quietly. He had meant to say it louder, but his mood didn't quite allow for it.

Tai tapped the boy on his shoulder and leaned back into the cliif's edge. "She asked me to come talk with you." His eyes closed to take in the sun as he spoke. "According to her, you've been far less talkative after your fight at Haven."

Jaune thought on his words for a moment. Somehow, he felt he should take offense, but the man's cheery tone dissuaded the thoughts of his friend's talking behind his back. "Yeah, well, I guess I don't have too much to say." He responded still not at full volume.

"For someone with not a lot to say, you sure are thinking a whole lot." Tai said with a grin. "Mind sharing some of those thoughts? I've watched you staring at the water for half an hour now. There's gotta be something good going on in there." He chuckled a bit more. "At least, I know it would've taken something pretty deep to take me away from a beach full of girls in swimsuits when I was your age!"

Jaune scoffed and his body tensed up to glare at the man. "With everything that's going on, you think I have time to think about girls?!"

Tai sat up and faced Jaune's glare head on. "Yes. In fact, I think that's the only thing on your mind right now." His voice was firm, but calm. Years of teaching seemed to have helped the man perfect the craft.

Jaune's glare worsened at the accusation. "You don't know the half of…"

A hand being lifted cut him off. "I know far more than half, Jaune." The firm voice continued, but held an emotion that Jaune couldn't quite pinpoint. "I told you, Ruby asked me to come talk with you. It's not to rub something in your face, or to make matters worse. She asked me to talk with you because she's worried about you."

The man lowered his hand and Jaune watched as he took a deep breath to collect himself. "They're all worried about you, Jaune." With that statement, the sadness in the man's voice became more apparent. "I want to be completely honest with you. Every one of your friends decided to visit here for a reason. They all wanted to find some help for you."

Jaune turned to face the rest of the group. Weiss still slept on the blanket with Blake reading beside her. The volleyball match at the shore seemed to have concluded as Yang chased a retreating Nora waving her mechanical arm wildly above her head.

 _"They did this… for me?"_

Everything seemed to hit him at once. Memories of his teammates giving him strange glances after the battle at Haven. The worried looks in their eyes after he had recklessly lunged at Cinder Fall. All because he wanted to avenge…

Jaune's eyes went wide as he recalled all the events. Ruby had used her leader status to call for a day off. When she first declared it, her eyes had been locked with his. "They all knew…" He whispered softly to no one.

Tai simply nodded while the boy's eyes locked with the sand at his feet. "Yeah Jaune, they did." Tai placed a hand on Jaune's shoulders to bring his attention back to their conversation. "You know, you've got a great group of friends looking out for you. To be honest, I can't say I'm not a bit envious of you."

Jaune saw the man's eyes look out at his group of friends relaxing and playing in the sand. "You're… envious? Of me?"

Tai slowly nodded his head and brought his eyes back onto Jaune. "Yeah… Ruby told me about what happened to your partner." Jaune stiffened his words. "I'm sorry for your loss. Truly, I am."

There was a brief moment of pause from Tai. He was clearly having trouble finding the correct words to say, but he pressed on all the same. "They didn't tell me everything, but I can see it from the look on your face. You loved her, didn't you?" Jaune was frozen. His mind raced through the memories he had of Pyrrha. The moments they trained together into the night. The dance that he had spent in a dress for her. That moment their lips met in front of the locker…

His eyes went back to staring at the sand. That kiss… In that moment, he had never been more sure of something in his life.

Tai watched as the boy gave him a faint nod. The way he never stopped looking at the ground as he did it… It reminded him of himself. All those feelings from the past came rushing back. The thoughts of wishing he could have done more, of feeling useless and weak, of blaming himself…

Tai sighed and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder once again. For a moment, they sat in silence. There would be no words that could overcome that kind of despair. Words had never helped him when Summer passed. During that time, all he could ever remember wishing for was someone that felt the same way. Someone that truly understood the pain that he was going though.

Jaune felt Tai's grip tighten on his shoulder. The force broke his silent trace and beckoned him to face the man. He expected some sort of pity when he met Tai's eyes, but he met only sorrow. Tai's grip on his shoulder relaxed and his hand slowly lowered back to his side. Those sorrowful blue eyes stared at the girls running on the beach before he said another word.

"Jaune, how much has Ruby spoken about her mother?"

Jaune was taken aback by the question. Ruby had never spoken about her mom at Beacon. He had heard the occasional story, but Ruby had refused to go into detail. "Just a little." He cautiously replied.

Tai sighed and nodded his head. "Her name was Summer, and she was my teammate at Beacon." Jaune nodded along as the man collected the memories of the past. "Summer was… Summer was the kindest woman I ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was our team's leader, sure, but every day I was amazed at the wonderful things she would do outside of the battlefield."

"Yang mentioned you met Raven during your battle at Haven, correct?" The boy nodded back to him in response. "Then I'm sure you're aware that she is Yang's mom at this point." A second small nod answered him. "When she left, I was heartbroken. I was a new dad that had been abandoned with a child that I hardly knew how to care for. Every day I did my very best to provide for Yang, but I needed help."

Tai's eyes lit up as he reached a special memory. "That's when Summer stepped in. In between missions, during school, every day she would do her best for both Yang and I. I never asked for help, but she would never allow me to stand alone. There were days that I told her to rest, but she always refused. She always did that, putting others before herself."

With each word Tai spoke, Jaune tried to picture the woman in his mind. A caring woman who would do anything to help. Who, even after being pushed away, continued to love and support her friend. At first, he imagined a short girl with silver eyes. The more he thought of her, the more she seemed to appear like Ruby. As he tried to look closer, the image began to change. The woman grew a bit taller. Her short hair fell to her back in a brilliant red. Her silver eyes illuminating into a brilliant green…

Jaune snapped back into the reality in front of him. He tried to compose himself, but Tai had stopped recounting his memories. He was simply staring at the boy so lost in thoughts of his friend.

A small tear formed on Jaune's face. He refused to wipe it away as he looked back to Tai. "And then what happened?" Jaune asked lightly.

Tai's smile faded. The man was silent for a minute, but eventually pushed through his mental barrier. "One day… She went out on a mission and didn't come back. She always tried so hard to fight for others and… and one mistake…"

The man paused and allowed himself a deep breath to continue. "Jaune, I won't pretend to know your friend, but I know how I felt after Summer passed away. She was courageous, beautiful, and loving more than anyone else I've ever known. When she wasn't there anymore, I… I didn't know what to do with myself."

Tai's eyes found his daughters playing on the beach. He pointed towards them so Jaune would look himself. "I isolated myself after she passed. I thought I needed time to process things… to move on from what had happened. The thing is, I never could. I almost brought them with me. My own daughters… I was so caught up in my own head that I couldn't focus on what was truly important."

Jaune watched as Yang managed to tackle Nora to the ground with one arm. Nora just laughed in the sand as Yang managed to wrestle the arm back from his teammate. The sight put a smile on his face, but his emotions continued to pour out. Had he really not been able to laugh with his friends? Before he could continue his thoughts, a hollow tapping brought his attention back to Tai.

The man pulled up the large case from his side and slid it over to Jaune's lap. "I told you that I don't know about your situation, Jaune, but I promised all of your friends that I would help in any way I can." The locks on the side of the case snapped open. Each click slowly lifted the edges a bit further away to reveal the contents inside. Jaune gently folded the top over and froze.

"It took a while to find, but I think it was worth it." Tai exclaimed. Jaune ran his hand over the guitar in the case. It was scratched, chipped, and looked like someone had attempted to repair some of the damage by hand, but it was his. The golden arc family crest, while scratched and fading, was printed on its base.

"How did you…? Jaune failed to get the full question out.

"You have great friends looking out for you Jaune." Tai responded simply. "I know we've only just met, but I have heard all about the things you would do for them at school. I mean, Ruby raved about you in her letters from Beacon." He gave the boy a smile. "Please, don't take them for granted. I know that things won't ever be the same for you. I know that firsthand. Just please, don't forget the ones around you."

Jaune ran his hand over the guitar one last time before setting it back in his case. He wasn't sure if it would ever sound the same as it did at Beacon, but that hardly mattered. Tai… All of his friends had gone out of their way for him. They had tried to surround him after he had hidden himself away. A small smile formed on his face as his tears blurred his vision. "Thank you, Tai." He spoke with a sniffle.

"Of course." The man said gently. "Now please, go see your friends. I'm sure they all want to talk with you."

Jaune gave Tai a simple nod before wiping his face clean and standing to his feet. Tai leaned against the rocks behind him and watched as the blond boy walked towards his friends. The slouched shoulders and sluggish stride he held when he first arrived were no more. Replacing it was a look of determination, and a walk filled with a sense of pride and purpose. When he finally reached everyone, he was met with arms pulling him close and a universal refusal to let him go.

Tai could only smile at the scene before him. To no one in particular, he spoke aloud. "He really is a lot like me, isn't he?" The man turned to his left and gently slid the boy's guitar out of its case and onto his lap. He gently ran his hand along its neck and placed a few fingers on the strings before giving them a soft strum.

The gentle breeze along the beach lightly coated Tai's feet in the sand as he continued to play his light tune. His eyes turned away from the young adults that were now laughing together, and to the reflections of light on the ocean. He let the warmth of the sand on his feet embrace him like the hugs Jaune continued to receive from his friends. It was true, he was envious of what Jaune had. Those friends that continued to hold him dear in an attempt to make sure everything was okay, it reminded him of a time with his friends. A time that was now so far away.

"You would've loved to see this, Sum…" The words were answered with another small breeze and another light coating of the warm sand against his skin. The blanket of warmth brought a small smile to his face. "Who knows… Maybe you do see it after all."

The notes from the guitar met with the small melody of his voice. He could play louder, but there was only one person he wished could hear him sing.

 _"On an island in the sun…"_

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hi Everyone.**

 **I'm assuming that this story was not what you were expecting from a beach episode. I'll be frank in saying that there is a reason for that.**

 **When I go to write most of my stories, I try to put myself in the mindset of the characters in an attempt to feel how they would go about working through certain situations. This week, however, I wrote this story based on some of the feelings that I currently have in order to help vent them out.**

 **Earlier in the week, I was told that one of my childhood friends had committed suicide. I could tell you the details of what happened, or how it felt to attend that funeral with her parents and my family, but this isn't the place for it. Instead, I hope this story shares some of those feelings on its own.**

 **While Jaune and Tai are the main characters here, they were written with my friend and myself in mind. Every summer we would go up to her family's cabin to hang out on the beach, swim, and take in the sun. It was always meant to be a peaceful and fun time away from school and any of the worries at home. When we would spend time there, she would often play music to set the mood and 'Island in the Sun' by Weezer was always one of her favorites.**

 **It's tragic and sad that all of this has happened, but I hope that the memories of that time will continue to outshine everything that's happened over the past week.**

 **I hope that you all managed to enjoy this story, even if you were looking forward to something else. I'm glad that I've found a hobby that allows myself to express my feelings, and even more so that I can share them here and know that I have readers surrounding me that are always interested in what I've written.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading.**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	26. Ruby Takes the Poison Meant for Qrow

**Prompt - Ruby jumps in and takes the poison strike meant for Qrow.**

* * *

 **Pick Your Poison**

* * *

There was a clash when the scorpion struck.  
A sword met his stinger. Oh, just his luck.

Qrow gave his regular smirk when he blocked the attack.  
His eyes beamed red and he waved everyone back.

With the kids far away, Qrow faced his new threat.  
Was he a scorpion faunus? No. Just Salem's pet.

The assassin laughed aloud as he flipped away.  
His weapons reloaded and aimed at the stray.

Bullets rang out, blades clashed, and auras flared.  
A sniper cracked loudly, Tyrian's tail was prepared.

"How can Qrow win against that blasted tail?"  
What was needed for victory made Ruby pale.

"It needs to come off! There's no other way!"  
The sniper roared again as she entered the fray.

Qrow was taken aback from the blur of red.  
His niece had come close and it filled with dread.

"Ruby, back off. You have to leave this to me!"  
His words were ignored. Ruby kept up her spree.

A boot met the girl's stomach, she tumbled and rolled.  
Qrow watched in horror as his semblance took hold.

He jumped into action as fast as he could.  
A single slice taking out the falling wood.

Ruby looked up at her savior with big silver eyes.  
A blur and a cackle rang out to her surprise.

Ruby shrieked in pain when the stinger struck skin.  
Qrow hacked at the man who had injured his kin.

The tail fell to the ground and flailed all about.  
The attack had brought victory to Ozpin's scout.

Ruby coughed as her plan had gone off with only one hitch.  
Tyrian shuddered in pain and called Qrow bitch.

The man ran away to places unknown.  
It didn't take long for the rest to hit home.

Qrow fell to her side with tears in his eye.  
He would not allow the young Rose to die.

The way the girl shook in pain caused Qrow to shiver.  
Ruby just waved him off. She had a good liver.


	27. Villains During Downtime

**Author's Note**

 **This is a continuation of the Summer Lives, and Tai Dies AU that has been written in this story. This is entry three with the other two entries being 'Summer Lives, and Tai Dies' and 'Neo's Misadventures'.**

 **I've been writing this story completely based on the prompts that have been given to me that you've seen in the other chapters, and I've really enjoyed bring a story to life through random prompts that I feel could fit into something much larger.**

 **This was actually the piece I wrote last week, but I realized today that I had never submitted it on her for you all to read. It's a small entry, but the one I'm currently writing is entry number four to this AU story, and it will have a lot more content!**

 **As always, I hope you enjoy!**

 **~Sh1f7er**

* * *

 **Prompt – What the villains are up to when they aren't being evil.**

* * *

"Checkmate."

Mercury stared at the checkered board in front of him. He could've sworn he had a bishop protecting his queen somewhere... "I hate this game." He said flatly, as the piece in question was found next to the collection of white figures on Emerald's side of the board.

Emerald smirked at him. "Don't be upset because you suck at it."

Mercury crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair. "Not my fault that there's nothing else to do in this dump." He closed his eyes and waved a hand towards the girl leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. "You'd think Roman would've enjoyed _something_ else other than chain-smoking in his free time."

Mercury could feel a set of eyes glare at the back of his head in retaliation to his words. Another quick shrug of his shoulders brought him back to a comfortable position in his chair. "Tell me I'm wrong, Neo." A small smile grew on his face from his choice of words.

Emerald watched as the small girl in the corner tensed her shoulders. She could understand Neo's frustration with the boy's brashness, but had to give him his point. It had been two weeks since Roman had been taken into custody after being bested by a girl named Ruby Rose. It had been an unexpected disruption to the plans they had been given, and things had slowed to a crawl because of it.

Emerald sighed and started resetting the pieces along the board. "Cinder said she'd be getting back here soon. If she's not back tonight, I'll go find a deck of cards or something."

Mercury scoffed at her. "Right, 'find'." One of his eyes popped open to get a look at Neo. "I guess I should wish you luck with that, Em." He said sarcastically. "Those huntresses like to come out of nowhere, nowadays. Wouldn't want you getting your ass kicked too."

Neo lunged at the boy. Her sword drew out as she flew across the room, only to be deflected away by a green weapon. Emerald snarled before shoving the girl back towards her spot on the wall. "Cool it." She called out angrily.

Neo glared at the girl with mismatched eyes. The two bored into each other for an uncomfortably long time before Mercury moved up to Emerald's side. Neo let out an angry breath when she recognized her position, and sheathed her weapon. Her arms crossed, and she went back to leaning against the wall with her eyes still focused on the two of them.

With her at bay, Emerald turned back to Mercury with piercing red eyes and pushed him back into his chair. "What the hell was that for?" The boy complained.

"For being an ass." Emerald responded flatly. "Now shut up and play so I don't have to explain two dead bodies to Cinder."

Mercury shook his head and smirked. "Two? Try one and a half… At best."

Neither one of them bothered to look at Neo after the comment. They both knew exactly what they would find staring back at them from the corner. Instead, Mercury slid his metal chair to the side and situated himself in front of the board as Emerald followed suit on the other side of the small table.

"Alright, let's just get this over with." Mercury sighed. He picked up a pawn and moved it forward two spaces before leaning an arm on the table so his hand could hold up his chin.

Emerald joined with her own pawn movement, leaning back into her chair when she finished. This had to be the… 8th game they had played today? She was typically able to beat Mercury fairly quick, but the monotony of the game was starting to wear her down as well. Would it be so bad if she went and stole a deck of cards after they were finished? At least that would be slightly more exciting than spending another night cooped up in the warehouse.

Suddenly, the metal door to their hideaway blew open with an intense heat following quickly behind. The group jumped from their seats in combat stances, ready for whatever might come next. When the sounds of heels began to click from beyond the entrance, the melted metal of the door became the least of their focus.

Cinder Fall's amber eyes illuminated the darkness of the warehouse as she strode into the backroom the group kept themselves in. "C…Cinder." Emerald squeaked out. Her weapons dropped to their holsters and her stance loosened just a bit.

Mercury stood up from his ready position and scoffed. "You mind knocking next time?" He said as his eyes switched from the potential threat to the pool of steel on the ground.

Cinder glared at him. "I am in no mood for your attitude, Mercury." She spoke in a growl. A frown fell on the boy's face and he sank back down to his chair. Cinder nodded her head in approval and continued. "It appears that Roman has been sent to a more… challenging location."

At the sound of his name, Neo began racing through her pockets for her scroll. When she found it, she typed away at its screen for just a moment before holding it up to Cinder.

Cinder read the girl's messaged and nodded. "Yes, Neo. Our 'friend' managed to find more information on his whereabouts. It seems the police of Vale have taken him to a far more contained facility along the borders of the city." Her eyes turned to Mercury and Emerald. "The three of us are going to help retrieve him."

Neo's eyes went wide and she shook her head. She frantically pointed towards herself to emphasize her need to help.

Cinder smirked and shook her head. "No, Neo. You will not be helping us in Vale any longer." The girl's face twisted to a horrified look at the words. Cinder smirked at her fear. "No. You will still be of use to us. However, after your recent failures, you are going to be tasked with something far more suited to your skills."

The reminder of what had happened at Junior's club caused Neo to scowl. It hadn't been her fault that a huntress was at the bar when the fight broke out. Without her, everything would have gone to plan. That little detail didn't matter to Cinder though. In her eyes, Neo had failed to gain the information of Roman's whereabouts after she had fought so hard to be sent to on the mission by herself.

Neo's mind raced at what Cinder's words meant as the woman searched a pocket in her red dress. After a bit of rummaging, Cinder pulled out a letter and presented it to Neo. The girl slid the seal open and began reading the contents.

It took only a few sentences for Neo's face to go pale. "You will be going undercover at Beacon in our stead, Neo." Cinder said confidently. "The three of us will be tasked in finishing the job that was clearly too much for you to handle."

Cinder's eyes traced over the girl as she slid the note back into its envelope and put it in one of her pockets. "You should be well aware that a second chance from me is not something that comes lightly." With one hand, she waved for Emerald and Mercury to start moving outside of the room. "I expect you to return the favor."

Neo watched as the woman turned towards the door with Emerald and Mercury already exiting. She reached back into her pocket with trembling hands and pulled out the envelope. Her and Roman weren't supposed to be dragged down this far. They were supposed to finish with Cinder and get out. Now, as she ran her hand across the bolded "Beacon Academy" written on the letter, she realized just how bad things had gotten. She was no longer even with Cinder Fall.


	28. Raven Tries to Convince Tai to Go

**Prompt – Raven tries to convince Tai to come with her.**

* * *

 **Following Suit**

* * *

"Wait… you what?" Tai couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. The statement had caught him off guard just enough that the words managed to slip from his mouth.

Red eyes glared at him. "I told you, I am going to be attending the dance." Raven crossed her arms as she maintained her fierce eye contact with him. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Tai slowly shook his head with a confused look on his face. Why would he have any issues with Raven attending the dance? Sure, it was a bit strange that she would even be thinking about going to a school function where there would be a crowd of other students, but there was no reason for him to have a problem with her going. "No…" he responded with his voice trailing off.

"Good." Raven added with authority. "Now tell me, what do I require to attend?"

Tai's eyebrow stretched further up his face. She had just told him that she was attending the dance, and now she was asking what that entailed? He shook his head. "I'm not really sure what you need for it, Rave. Most girls just wear a dress or something that looks nice. I don't know, I'm not a girl. I bet Sum might have a better idea than me."

"I asked you." Raven replied sharply. She took a step closer to Tai and continued glaring into his eyes from her lower height. To her pleasure, the taller boy seemed a bit frightened by her advances. "Is that a problem?"

Tai took a quick step back and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh… N…No! I've got this! Umm… Okay, first things first, do you have a dress?"

Raven looked perplexed. "No. I have this." She said while gesturing towards her huntress outfit. "Why would I require a dress? They are frail and would hardly do anything to protect me."

One of Tai's eyes squinted. "You… You really don't know what this dance is do you?"

"No." She replied flatly. "But Summer said that I should attend. Although I waiting to see if it will be as… fun as she seemed to think."

Tai sighed and lightly pinched the bridge of his nose to collect himself. "Okay, Raven, first things first, a dance is a formal event. That means there is no fighting and no training. There's just talking, music, and a dance floor where you can spend time with friends or a partner."

Raven nodded right along with his words. "Then this outfit should suffice. Back at… home, this outfit is formally accepted."

A small chuckle escaped from the blond. "Rave, this is different from any event you've been to. Most of the guys will wear a suit of some kind, maybe some of the girls too, but the majority of the girls I know will be wearing some kind of dress."

"And why would they do that?" Was her simple reply.

"I don't know. It makes them feel pretty?"

Her eyes narrowed. "And what? I'm meant to look pretty at this dance?" Her question somehow sounding more like a threat to Tai.

He took another step back and put his hands out to defend himself if need be. "I… Um… Yes?" He murmured.

Much to Tai's surprise, Raven crossed her arms in thought. "Very well."

His eyes widened. "Very well?" He paused for a moment as she continued to stare at him. "You mean, you're going to get a dress?"

She nodded her head. "If I must." Tai could not believe what he was hearing. "Now, is there anything else?"

Tai mulled the question over for just a moment. "Uh, heels maybe?"

Raven looked down at her high-heeled shoes. "That should not be an issue. What else?"

"I don't know, uh, jewelry? Makeup? Whatever makes you feel good, or look good." He said with a small smile.

Raven's face fell. "Do you not think I look good normally?"

Tai's palm met his face. "No no no! I think you look good! Great even! I meant that you're getting all dressed up, and you should do whatever you need to feel confident."

"I am always confident in myself and my abilities." Raven deadpanned.

Tai sighed. Why was talking with her always so difficult? "Yes, Rave, I know you are." He rubbed the top of his head. "Okay, forget the makeup. In fact, forget I ever said anything. Heels and a dress. That's all you need to remember."

Raven nodded at his words. "Very well."

Tai went to respond, but noticed Raven eyeing him up and down. "Uh, is there anything else you needed?" He asked nervously.

"Yes." She said flatly. "You will wear a black suit. Summer showed me the one that is in your closet. It will do just fine. With that, I expect you to wear red. It will match what I choose to wear nicely."

Tai looked at her stunned. "What?"

"Red. It will match with this dress that I am to obtain." She said simply with her eyes suddenly narrowing at him. "Are you not attending the dance as well?"

Tai cocked his head at her. "I… Yes?" His words once again coming out as a question.

"Good." She replied with a nod. "Then it is settled." With that, she turned towards their dorm room and knocked at the door. "Summer! We have business in Vale!"

There was a peep at the other side of the door. "Really!? Qrow, it finally happened!" Qrow's unenthusiastic cheers were barely heard from the other side of the door. "I can't believe I get to take you dress shopping!"

Raven's head gave a slight nod. "I'm still not sure I understand it, but it was what Tai requested."

Summer waved a dismissive hand at her. "Oh, please. You'll understand when you see how pretty you look!" She gave off a wide smile to Raven before stepping out of the doorway to address Tai. "And you, I bet you're going to look dashing in that suit!" She quickly wrapped her arms around the both of them before dragging Raven into the room to grab some things for their trip.

The door slammed behind them, and Tai was left frozen in front of his team's shaking door. Did that really just happen? Did his partner, the one that consistently beat him up in spars, the one that punched him on day one at Beacon for hitting on her, just ask him to the dance? He winced when he felt the pinch on his arm. Yes, he was definitely awake.

His hand trailed up his forehead and through his hair. "I'm going to the dance with Raven Branwen." He whispered aloud. "Raven Branwen just asked me to the dance." His body shook when he finished his statement. The realization finally set in, and his eyes went wide.

"I'm going to the dance with Raven Branwen!" He yelled out with his fist pumping into the air. Each second bringing more excitement and clarity into the situation. "Holy shit… I'm going to the dance with Raven Branwen." He felt his bare chest peeking out of his shirt and began batting at his tattered clothes. "I need to go shopping! I need to look good!"

Without another thought, he began sprinting down the hall. He needed a new shirt, a haircut, and possibly a new pair of shoes. He was going to the dance with Raven Branwen. She hadn't necessarily asked, but he didn't need any more convincing.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I finally got the chance to sit down and write this week which might be a bit sketchy due to life events for... well honestly, the next few months. In any case, I have a few stories coming out this week, but my updates my fluctuate from time to time over the upcoming weeks.**

 **That being said, I enjoyed putting this one together! I really like Tai a lot. If you hadn't already gotten that from my one completed fanfic of him (Which hit 10k views this week! :D). Building upon team STRQ is always kinda funny since we don't know too much about them, but I headcanon that Tai and Raven are partners on the team, and that Tai wins Raven over after an extended period of them fighting. In a way, it's kinda like how Weiss and Ruby start off poorly and then build their way up to good friends.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	29. Challenge! Ilia Meets Blake's Friends

**Prompt – Ilia thought she only ever had eyes for Blake. After arriving at Haven, that still proves to be mostly true, but wow. Blake sure made friends with some rather… colorful people.**

* * *

Stepping out of the shadows was a lot harder than Ilia had originally thought. She had been a scout for the White Fang for so long that it was hard to remember a time that she had a group of friends to come back to. In fact, the last time she had been with a group… she had knocked most of their teeth out.

 _Why is Blake bringing me to see her friends again?_

It was a thought that had crossed her mind a few times now. The good news was that another look at the girl walking next to her always gave her an easy answer. Blake wanted her back in her life. It was that simple. Ilia had thrown aside everything when she left the White Fang, and had done it all for the cat faunus. Blake was returning the favor by doing whatever she could to help a friend adjust to her new life outside of the violent cult.

Despite wanting nothing more than to answer her continuous question with her glance, Ilia found herself taking a second look at her friend. The girl was more confident now than the last time they had been together. The curves of her body were a little more defined, her hair straightened to an unfair perfection, and her golden eyes just as beautiful as she remembered.

Ilia sighed. _Yeah, a friend._ Did she really still have feelings for Blake? After all this time? Another sigh escaped her as her eyes tracked over the girls swaying hips. _Dammit, Ilia…_

After a quick mental lashing, Ilia did her best to keep her eyes focused forward. Things had just started being normal between them again, and nothing was going to mess that up! As if reading her mind, a modern mistrailian house came into view and the thoughts of the girl at her side slid began to fade. It felt nice to rid herself of the thoughts of Blake, however, the realization of being so close to their destination brought a new form of evil thought to her head.

 _Oh no, I'm about to meet Blake's friends…_

Sure, she had met Sun, and he was… Sun. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did put into question who else Blake would have befriended at that far-away school.

 _Are they all going to be like Sun? Blake mentioned Weiss… Oh no, Weiss is going to hate me. But she likes Blake… I think…? What about her partner? Or their leader? What did I agree too?!_

"Almost there." Blake exclaimed with a light huff from their long walk.

Ilia's body continued its path forward on autopilot while her conscious mind raced internally.

 _Okay Ilia. It's going to be okay. These are Blake's friends. You just have to be calm and introduce yourself. Yeah! Introduce yourself to Blake's teammates and friends. That's easy! You've been greeting the high ups of the White Fang for years! This will be easy!_

The door to the house opened, and Blake called for her friends. "Hey guys! I'm back with Ilia!"

 _Wait. When did we make it to the house!?_

There was a low rumble from the stairs as an entire group raced to meet Blake's friend. Ilia saw red, yellow, pink, and white enter the room in a flash. There were more, but those colors occupied all of her vision. Their hair, their eyes, their curves… Ilia shuddered.

 _Oh no… They're hot._

"Ilia, I'd like to introduce you to everyone!" Blake said while raising her hand. "First up with have Jaune, Ren, and Nora. They were part of our sister team at Beacon."

The boys gave a light wave while Nora bounced up and down in excitement of meeting a new friend.

 _Ilia, don't. Bounce. Don't you dare! Bounce. Don't you… Bounce, bounce, bounce…_

Ilia reached a hand up in the air to wave, but her bobbing head was the only thing that caught the group's attention. "Uh, nice to meet you!" Nora called out.

Ilia wanted to mumble something in response, but Blake's arm pointed to someone new, and Nora's trance over Ilia was broken before she could say something stupid. "Recently, the three of them have all been working with my team leader." Blake continued while Ilia tried her best to shake her head of her thoughts. "Ilia, this is Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY."

The smaller girl wearing a red hood gave Ilia an energetic wave. "Ilia, were you the one that diffused the bombs at Haven?"

 _Okay, not really the greeting I was expecting, but at least this will be easy._

"Uh huh... That was me." Ilia nervously replied.

"THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Ruby cheered. Before Ilia could understand what was going on, the girl had raced over to her side in a flash of red rose petals. Ruby gave Ilia a rushed light hug before disappearing back to her spot between her friends. "Sorry! I… um… I get excited from time to time." Ruby said as her cheeks reddened.

 _Good lords, that's adorable!_

Ilia could hardly keep the small blush from showing up on her face. "That's… That's okay, Ruby. Thank you."

Ruby nodded her head, and Blake went on to the next person in line. "Ilia, this is my partn…"

 _She is so hot._

Blake's words went unheard as Ilia did her best to maintain eye contact with the blonde in front of her.

 _That's so unfair. Just look at her!_

Ilia noticed the girl reach out for a handshake. She tried her best to track the girls arm to her hand, but her eyes caught glimpse of the girl's chest and they couldn't be persuaded to move any further.

 _Is there any way we can make you energetic like… Nora? I think that was her name…_

Ilia did her best to reach her hand towards Yang's, only for it to grasp onto something cold. "Whoa!" Ilia called out loud while retracting her hand.

Yang pulled her hand back with a harsh glare that seemed to flicker from a calming purple, to a terrifying red. "Do you have a problem?" The blonde demanded.

Ilia wasn't sure what had happened, but with the moment gone, took the time to look at Yang's arm.

 _Oh, it's metal._

Ilia's hand raced over her mouth with muffled apologies spewing from behind it. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Yang rubbed her real hand over the metal arm and took a deep breath. "You… Yeah. I know." She said hesitantly. "It just… takes some getting used to."

Ilia took note of how quiet everyone else in the room had gone.

 _Ilia, you just messed this up so badly! Fix it!_

"I really am sorry." She said weakly. "I just didn't realize it was going to be so cold." The blonde's face started to shrink.

 _You're supposed to fix it! You're making her feel worse!_

"I… I mean, I wasn't expecting it to be so cold cause you're so h…" Ilia froze.

 _GODDAMIT ILIA! You just had to apologize! You almost just called her hot because you were staring down her shirt for the last two minutes and now you… wait. Is she smiling?_

Yang covered her mouth with her metal hand and did her best to stifle her sudden laughter. "Did… Did you almost just call me hot?" She squeaked from behind the prosthetic.

Ilia watched in horror as the rest of the group giggled to themselves.

 _I gotta tell you Ilia, that was bad, even for you._

"I… Um… Maybe?" Ilia answered with a cracking voice.

The blonde finally broke from behind her arm and she pulled Ilia in for a small hug. Ilia's face was buried into the girls chest as she gave a hearty laugh and patted her back. "Okay, okay. I forgive you. But only because you gave me a good laugh!" Yang spoke full of cheer.

Nobody could hear Ilia's muffled voice from within Yang's cleavage. It was a small miracle for the girl as only gibberish managed to make its way out of her mouth.

When Yang finally released her from her wonderful hold, Ilia stumbled back to Blake's side. Ilia did her very best to collect herself, but unfortunately…

 _Ilia, you just motarboated that blonde for a solid 45 seconds. Just look at that chest. You, yes you, were right there. How does it feel?_

She was dealing with that. Ilia did her very best to refocus herself when Blake pointed to the final teammate in the room, she really did. There was just so many thoughts racing through her mind of blondes, and their wonderful embrace, and…

When Blake forcefully directed Ilia's gaze to Weiss, the girl was staring at her with wide blue eyes. There she was, the heir to the Schnee Dust Company, looking at her as she morphed from her normally toned skin, to something far more pink. She had tried so hard to keep it under control, but Yang's embrace was just too much for her to handle.

"Uhh… Ilia? Are you okay?" Blake cautiously asked her friend. Ilia nodded slowly while covering her pink face in embarrassment. "Okay… Well, this is my last teammate, Weiss Schnee. Weiss, say hi to Ilia."

Ilia peeked through her fingers as the girl perfectly covered in white and blue extended a hand out to her. Her mind raced as the enemy of the White Fang's mouth parted in preparation to greet her. Ilia extended a hand, and Weiss finally spoke. "My nice is Weiss Schnee. Nice to meet you beautifu…"

The girl immediately drew her hand and covered her mouth. The rest of the room went silent as the pale girl turned a shade of pink that only Ilia would be able to match. Ilia's grey eyes met with Weiss's light blue through their fingers as they both shook with embarrassment.

 _Oh my… She has IT too._

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hey there everyone!**

 **So this one was another 'Challenge' given to me by a friend. When I do accept a story challenge, I typically take the person who is giving it to me into consideration more than anyone else. That being said, this friend typically gets his biggest laughs from lewd humor. So that's what they got!**

 **I know it's silly and quite a bit different from all of my other writing, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. There can only be so many 'Useless Lesbian' jokes in the RWBY fandom, and I think this one came out pretty solid!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	30. Jaune the Maiden

**Prompt – Any male character is chosen to be one of the 'Maidens'.**

* * *

 **Time to Shine**

* * *

Ozpin clicked away at the mechanical keyboard at his desk. To just about anyone else the noise would be a nuisance. A reminder of a technology long since replaced in the world for something sleeker, quieter, and admittedly, better in general. It was what he was used to though. Something comfortable in an environment where the feeling had no right to exist. It eased his mind as another hard decision was forced upon his screen.

"Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." He read aloud, testing the words.

The girl's file plastered the screen with accolades and accomplishments. All things that made her stand out above her peers. She would be perfect. Would be, if not for her family's outstanding popularity between varying countries and minorities alike.

A cursor moved to the bottom of the screen, dragging the girl's file to the rejection pile. No sooner had it disappeared then a new one had taken its place on the screen.

Ozpin sighed at the new entry. "Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Tournament Champion." The words tasted just as conflicting in his mouth.

A few more clicks rang out followed by the scraping of his chair against the tile floor. Ozpin watched his reflection in the now black screen before him. Pyrrha Nikos was truly an amazing fighter. She had exceeded all of his expectation in and out of battle. She was an incredible kind individual as well, showing compassion to almost all students that crossed her path.

"But is she too good?" Ozpin spoke to himself. He raised a hand to massage his forehead before standing from his chair.

Amber had been good too. So good in fact, that it had been used against her. The poor girl now trapped away inside a machine that was only barely keeping her alive.

Another sigh escaped him. There was always some sort of caveat to his decisions. Amber had been humble, kind, and a strong fighter to go with it all. That didn't mean she was without her flaws. When she was gifted the powers of the Fall Maiden, Amber had used them for good. It was a noble thing, but one that would draw attention from those with far less noble intensions.

Ozpin reached for his cane and gently twirled it in his fingers. His eyes watched the scene below his office window as his mind continued its deep thoughts. "Pyrrha Nikos, The Fall Maiden." He whispered aloud. It did have a certain ring to it, even if she had the attention of an entire continent. Would her lack of anonymity actually help her survive having such a gift?

No. Her situation was similar to Ms. Schnee despite the vastly different reasons for their popularity. He needed someone else. Someone so unknown, so different from his previous choices that they would remain out of harm's way.

A deep rumble began to play beneath him, shaking him from his thoughts. His choice for a new Fall Maiden would have to wait. Tonight was the dance meant to bring together all of the students currently at Beacon. At the very least, he should attend with a smile.

If the thumping noise that had reached up to his office in the tower had been any indication, the music of the dance was loud. It seemed like every generation he had lived through enjoyed it being louder than the last. In truth, it was a realization that only came to him in moments like this, large gatherings of people at events where everyone was to be merry and enjoying themselves.

Outside of those select few events, music had become a thing of the past to him. In his office, it would be nothing more than a white noise that distracted him from making decisions with a clear head. A nuisance that would refuse to go away should the lyrics catch on to the subconscious parts of his brain.

Still, the synchronized sounds allowed for students to dance and talk to one another in merriment. Despite all of their different backgrounds, it always seemed like it managed to pull things together in one way or another.

Ozpin's brown eyes slowly scanned the scene from a balcony overlooking the hall. There were students on the dancefloor and a few more sitting at tables with drinks and sweets. Dinner had ended a while ago, but that did not stop them from conversing as they pleased.

Ozpin began to wonder just how they all managed to talk to one another with all the noise when a very familiar face caught his eye. Ruby Rose stood off in a corner taking small sips from her punch. It wouldn't have been much of a sight had she not been holding a second full cup in her other hand.

Ozpin chuckled to himself. _At least she is only going after the punch. Hopefully she has already learned the effects of other drinks from her uncle._

While gently laughing at the thought of Qrow with a glass of whiskey in each hand, Ozpin reminded himself that the man was one of his most trusted. Despite his vices, Qrow managed to be a single consistent player in his operations. He always looked for the best options for success, even if they were a bit unorthodox at times.

It was a strange feeling to have after a night of casting aside candidates. If Qrow was his most trusted scout, what kind of qualities was he truly looking for in a Maiden? Possibly someone that spoke their mind? It angered some, but at least it shared the person's thoughts clearly. What about fighting skill? Was it really so important to fight as it was to simply be able to survive? Then there was how they handled attention. Surely a Maiden should be someone that could draw attention, but be unassuming at the same time.

The music stopped suddenly drawing his attention back to the scene on the dancefloor. Ozpin's eyes quickly passed through each of the students to find the reasoning for the delay.

He was met by something entirely different.

Out on the dancefloor was a boy. He stood tall above most of his onlookers, but his height was hardly the reason for the commotion throughout the hall. Instead of the suit that he had originally worn, the boy was now wearing a bright white dress that barely covered past his knees.

The way he simply ignored the onlookers and passed through them towards his target was astounding. The boy heeded them no mind as he took Pyrrha Nikos' hand and asked her to dance. It was something so outrageous that Ozpin couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Jaune Arc." He spoke softly. "He's wearing a dress…" The man's voice trailed off into space.

 _Baby, it's time to make up your mind._

"Jaune Arc." He tested the words with a smile. "He's perfect."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Okay, so I forgot to upload this one last week, so I'm about to have a few entries coming in quick! I know I mentioned this before, but this time I have them all ready to go! So this time it's actually going to happen! (Hopefully!)**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	31. Yang is Surprisingly Prude

**Prompt – Yang is surprisingly prude.**

* * *

 **The Best Laid Plans**

* * *

"So let me get this straight… you've never slept with someone before?"

"Heck no!"

The confusion on Blake's face doubled at Yang's stark response. "But I see you flirt with guys every day!"

Yang drew back onto her bed, gasping from the allegation. "Are you calling me a sl…"

Blake rapidly waved her arms in front of herself. "No no no! I would never call you something like that! I-I just…"

"She can't believe you don't sleep around." Weiss said flatly from across the dorm room.

Yang's eyes bounced back and forth between her two 'friends'. "I-I can't believe it… both you think I'm a… a…" A tear started to well up in Yang's eye. Blake stood to comfort her partner, only for her to jump into the air with a fist pumping. "Yes! It's working!"

Blake's confusion tripled this time as she watched the eccentric blonde shift from a defeated and hurt mood to something so impossibly opposite. "What?" The one word question spilled out of her mouth in her stunned state.

"My plan, it's working!" Yang said with yet another loud cheer.

Weiss shook her head with her mouth hanging open slightly. "Your… 'plan' was to appear like a floozy?"

Yang gave her a quick glare before stopping to consider her words. After just a moment's thought, she conceded the fact and gave the girl a small nod. "I mean, I don't want everyone thinking I'm the town bike. I just want to draw the attention to myself so that…" Suddenly, Yang's hand slapped over her mouth to stop herself from talking.

Blake tilted her head to the side like a confused cat while Weiss gave off a scoff. "You're looking for attention? That's hardly a new concept." Weiss snarked before turning back to her homework.

The hand flew off Yang's mouth. "No no! It's not like that! It's just… I… Umm…" She took a deep breath and muttered a few words so soft that not even Blake could pick them up.

"What was that?" Her partner asked with growing suspicion.

Yang shook her head in defiance, but the stares from her teammates quickly wore her down. Yang huffed in response. "I said i'mdoingthistostopboysfromgoingafterRuby."

Weiss missed it again from across the room, but Blake raised an eyebrow at the admission. "You're trying to… Your plan is to stop boys from going after Ruby?"

Yang's eyes did what they could to avoid eye contact with her as she gave a very light nod. A slap echoed through the dorm as Weiss' hand impacted her face. There was a squeal from her wooden desk chair shortly after as she made to leave.

"Wait, Weiss, why are you leaving?" Yang called out.

"You're an idiot." She responded flatly with a flushed face. "I can't believe we tried talking to you about this." With that, Weiss stepped outside of the room, turned to take one more look at Yang and Blake, rolled her eyes, and quickly closed the door.

When the door snapped shut, Yang turned to face Blake with a confused look. "What got her panties in a bunch?"

Blake shook her head and moved to place an arm on Yang's shoulder. "Yang, what you are doing for your sister… Isn't she old enough to have a relationship of her own?"

Yang shook her head. "Blake, she's only fifteen! Everyone else is so much older than her, and I don't want them taking advantage of her!"

Blake winced at the answer. "Okay, well, what if I said… Ruby is in a relationship?"

Yang's face twisted in confusion. "No, no, that's not possible. I think I've managed to distract every boy in this school! If someone was with Ruby, I would know about it!

Blake nodded her head slowly. "Well… even then, what if she was?"

"Then they would remain an arm lengths away at all times, have to have a meeting with me, and possibly a meeting with a few of my friends." With that, Yang tapped Ember Celica together.

"Right… Well, I have something to tell you, Yang." Blake closed her eyes to stop her version from filling with lilac. "Yang… Weiss and Ruby are… partners." She fought to squeak out the words.

To her dismay, the words fell of deaf ears. "Well yeah." Yang waved her admission off. "They've been partners from day one! I thought you had some groundbreaking news for me, Blake!"

Blake shook her head. "No. You're not quite getting it. They're partners."

"Yes. That's what we just said." Yang simply replied.

"Yang. Please. The two of them are… together." Blake spoke with increasing frustration.

Yang just pointed to the window of their dorm. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure Weiss just left to go find her. That really wouldn't surprise me, Blake."

Blake growled and stomped over to the window. It took a moment to find her teammates in the courtyard, but their distinct colors helped point her vision to a wooden bench. With them in sight, she grabbed Yang's wrist and pulled her to the window. "There. Look." She ordered.

Yang watched the two chat for just a moment as she massaged her forearm. "I don't see what your problem is, Blake. They're just sitting there and talking."

"Look. Closer." Blake hissed in annoyance.

Yang squinted to get a better view. There was Ruby and Weiss. They were talking. They were sitting on a bench. They were holding hands. There was a tree nearby. And there was a…

Yang froze. Her eyes shaking as she took the sight of her sister and Weiss. There were their hands, distinctively intertwined on the wood planks between them. Blake took a small step away from the blonde as she began to shake. "Y-Yang… Are you okay?" Her nerves now far outweighing her annoyance.

The girl continued to shake. "Weiss, our teammate Weiss, is HOLDING HANDS WITH MY SISTER!" Blake jumped into her bunk and hid behind her pillows. "WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME?!"

Blake pulled a pillow over her head. "I-I was trying to. I a-asked if you had ever s-slept with someone and-and you…"

"WEISS SLEPT WITH RUBY!?"

Blake shook in terror as the girl's voice somehow managed to raise in volume. There had to be some way she could diffuse the situation. There must be something she could say to appease the rage emanating from Yang's very core. "I… Um… She…" Blake gulped. "At least you kept the boys away?"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **So, this story was something. I originally put it together just to have some mindless fun with a prompt and threw in some RWBY fandom meme jokes in there like hand holding being filth.** **I then posted it to the weekly thread these get written for... and it became my most popular story on the site to date.**

 **To say I'm conflicted by having memes be my 'best' work is putting it lightly, but that just means my other stuff will have to improve to beat it!**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	32. The 10,000 Year Old Grimm

**Prompt – A 10,000 year old Grimm that has wander across Remnant tries to find a worthy end to its life.**

* * *

 **Legends Never Die**

* * *

Ten thousand years, to the day. The Grimm grunted at the thought. Intelligence had come around year fifty. By year one hundred, it had trumped survival instinct as its primary decision matrix. Then by year one thousand, killing things off had lost its appeal. Instead, staying in the background and exploring the world around it for further knowledge had become its only goal.

Thousands of years later, that goal had been achieved. The enormous mammoth Grimm had trudged through swamps, mountains, plains, deserts, snow, and even Vale's streets. That last one had been a surprise that the Grimm had cherished. Even with the rubble that littered the ground from collapsed buildings, there was a beauty to what the humans had accomplished.

The streets were easy to walk across, and the buildings that remained were vibrant in a completely different way than those in Menagerie. That trip through the waters had been dangerous, but Vale was something far more treacherous. At one point, a huntsman tried to stand in its path. It's trunk sent him flying back into a pile of beowolves, and the man had almost managed to fight them off. His death had been somewhat regrettable, but that wasn't really the Grimm's problem.

Its problem, its only problem, was closure.

Ten thousand years spent living was a long time. Far more than any of its brothers and sisters. Far more than the humans that stood to fight it. Far more than even the wizard and witch had hoped to live.

The Grimm had finished its trek through Vale and had even managed to see Beacon. It was almost an exclamation mark on a finished journey across every continent and location that Remnant had to offer. Now, there was hardly anything left.

As it trampled over the trees of Forever Fall, it let off another small moaning breath. This place was beautiful, it would be a good place to lay and rest. Perhaps it would even be a good place to rest forever, if that were even possible.

It was a silly thing to think of, death. After ten thousand years of roaming the world, what would happen? All that time, all that knowledge, would it simply disappear? None of the other Grimm would be capable of remembering it. Salem had given up trying to demand anything of it a long time ago. Not even the huntsmen were truly capable of doing anything to it.

Was that how it was going to continue? No meaning, and no goals. Just a Grimm with no real reason to fight walking Remnant to find… what even?

It laid down underneath the trees, which shook as the ground shifted beneath it. It would find its meaning. There had to be something for it after all this time. Something tha-

A gunshot rang out from about one hundred yards away. A blast struck the Grimm's side and it responded by opening a single eye to find the 'threat' that had poked it during its rest. "Oh-Ho! Can it be? The Wanderer has taken refuge in my very front yard! I must say, this is quite the stroke of luck in these trying times!"

The Grimm followed the voice to a distant red dot amongst the fall trees. It was no more than a single huntsman. His weapon was mounted under his arm despite it appearing to have two blades like an axe at its end. For a moment, the Grimm wondered why he would fire such a device as it might cut off a limb, but there were far too many humans that carried weapons far more dangerous to themselves than the Grimm.

The man cracked off another few shots that simply brushed off the mammoth's dark inky fur. It leaned against its front legs to slowly bring itself to a four legged stand and looked down at the man from well above the trees.

"My my! What a large Grimm you are, Wanderer! I might be worried, if I were not such a skilled huntsman!" The dot continued to speak of itself in such a boisterous voice. "Come now, Wanderer! Fight me in glorious combat!"

Another few gunshots sounded from the weapon, and a little more patience receded from the Grimm. If this man would dare fight a Grimm so large by himself, perhaps he deserved to die. The mammoth swung its truck across the trees. Each one uprooted and followed the swing, leaving a clearing in the middle of the forest where the man once stood.

There was a groan between the splinted and broken wood. "Ah-ah Ha! It seems that you will be a worthy opponent!" The man staggered out from between two trees. "Do not think you can be rid of me so easily! I am not a world renowned huntsman without reason!" The large man lunged at the Grimm with a brandished axe. "Have at thee!" He yelled out with a mighty swing.

The Grimm simply turned its head in response, sending the man flying back into the dirt after he crashed into its tusk. The force alone from the strike had caused his aura to flicker, but the man would not be deterred.

"Ah… Ah Ha!" The man said under a heavy breath. "You-you will make quite the prize when I'm finished with you!" The man took a small step forward with a very visible limp.

It looked pathetic. This man truly thought that he could defeat it? How mistaken could one be to not recognize the end? It blew air from its truck that sent the man tumbling onto his back. Yes, this would be the end of this one. The Grimm brought its foot up into the air above the man. One step, that's all it would take.

"My students will hear of my victory here for years!" The man called out.

With death right in front of him, he was still clinging to thoughts of victory? His students would have to be crazier than this man to listen to his stories.

"Wanderer, I have taught young huntsman and huntresses for years on the ways of the world. The story of besting the Grimm that wandered the world will be the greatest prize I will ever share with them!"

The Grimm brought its foot down. The world shook as dirt flew up hundreds of feet into the air. The man rolled just off to the side of it. He would have been too slow to dodge the strike, had the Grimm actually aimed for him.

"Yes!" The man called out. "Your story will be one for the ages! The oldest Grimm to ever walk Remnent! The only one to ever refuse violence outside of self-preservation!"

The Grimm stared down at him. This man, he knew of it that much? He knew that much of its story?

"Wanderer, you will go down in the history books! Quite the honorable defeat to fall by my hand!" The man pulled himself to his feet. His bloodied leg nearly buckled under his weight, but he pushed on. "My students will hear of your story for years! I will make sure of it!"

The Grimm's eyes continued to bore into this man. Even with death in sight, he pressed onward. He had a goal. A mission. A purpose that he felt the need to fulfill. Something lost by it the second its tour had been completed. This man, whoever he was, wanted… no needed to share its story with his students. The story of the Great Wanderer, a legend of the Grimm.

Peter Port watched as the mammoth Grimm lowered its head to his level. Something so large and ancient laid only a few feet away. Its red eye the size of his body starring into him, unblinking.

The mammoths trunk let out a long breath of air. To Port, it almost sounded like a contented sigh.

He lifted his Blunderbuss to his shoulder. "Yes, Wanderer, they will hear about you for thousands of years to come."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **So fun story, I have like 6 stories to post on here that I have been neglecting to do because of Summertime business. I hope to push most of them out this week, so if you see a lot of updates from me, you know why!**

 **I will say, the next few stories are a bit different. As we go further into the season hiatus, some of the prompts have been getting a bit out there. It's not a bad thing, as they have offered some interesting stories since they aren't the typical fluff and angst prompts I've been used to.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this one! Writing for a Grimm was a bit different, but I think the 'badass' nature of Professor Port makes the story!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	33. Challenge! Jacques has an Epiphany

**Challenge! - Jacques Schnee has** **an epiphany and renounces his former greedy ways to try to reconnect with his daughters and bring his family back together.**

 **Author's Notes - This is a continuation of the chapter 11 story - Jacques is Hunted by Grimm.**

* * *

 **#1 Dad**

* * *

Jacques twirled an engraved pen in his hand absentmindedly as he reflected on recent events. His new factory along the borders of Atlas had been a disaster. Grimm had overtaken the facility and killed all of the workers who had braved the dangers of the location for employment.

Jacques' eyes met the sealed letter on his desk and his period of recollection soured further. *Damn that Qrow…* Yes, it was true that the haggard huntsman had saved Jacques' life at the facility. Any positive impacts that stemmed from the rescue were immediately eliminated though. There was back and forth taunting, blackmail, and that damned letter Qrow had handed him.

The pen slipped out of Jacques' hand as his anger bubbled over at the memory. *The bastard even sealed the letter to Winter with a heart.* Jacques had half a mind to destroy it right there, but the memories from the event reminded him of why he hadn't done so already.

Qrow had blackmail. A small picture of Jacques cowering in a darkened closet thinking that his demise by the hand of the Grimm was at hand. A normal civilian might view an image like that as a prank, but Jacques was no mere civilian. He was the head of the Schnee Dust Company. He had power, wealth, and a status high enough to consult many of the varying boards across Vale. That damned picture could ruin it all at the push of a button.

Jacques gripped the letter in his hand. There was no way he was simply going to hand a love letter from some drunk to his daughter. She was a descendant to the SDC. Even if Winter had removed herself from being a potential successor, it didn't mean she could ruin her status as his daughter. She would remain respectful and respected! He would not allow her to hand herself over to some bastard of a man!

The crinkling of paper caused Jacques to wince. He had nearly crumpled the letter in his hand during his internal outburst. No, he would not allow Winter to be with Qrow… but would she take him herself? The thought brought a new expression to his face. A worry that he hadn't felt since becoming a father in the first place.

The letter was gently set back on the desk. Jacques' brought his hands back to his face to hide behind a creeping shame. When was the last time he had thought on what his daughter's wanted? A few fingers moved out of his vision to view the piling letters sent to Weiss from Patch. He had blocked all communication to Weiss from her team after the events at Beacon. He had done it for her own protection. To save her from the life that had put her in so much danger.

But it was the life she chose… His eyes widened at the thought. She had chosen a life of endless peril over staying an heiress… over staying with her family. He shook his head. *No… She went there to prove herself. She left to increase the popularity of the Schnee name!* The thought lingered for a moment before another realization hit. *No. She… she did the same thing as her sister. If the Schnee name was what she truly cared about, she would have stayed.* His body stiffened. *They aren't seeking popularity. They think they're repairing our name.*

He looked at the letters once more. A pile from a girl named Ruby Rose and the single letter from Qrow Branwen. Would his daughters really take those two over himself? He scoffed at the question. Of course they would. They had done everything in their power to get away from him. The second they received their letters, they would try to leave again.

His hand slammed onto the desk. He couldn't let that happen. He had to put a stop to it. Not as the head of the Schnee Dust Company, but as the father of Winter, Weiss and Whitley Schnee. He had to bring his family back together.

Winter was stunned when she received the summoning request from her father. It wasn't the request that had triggered the emotions, it was very common that Jacques would request her presence for one event or another for the company, it was the contents that had her questioning things.

"Winter, it has come to my attention that I have made a grave mistake. Recent events have opened my eyes, and I wish to right a great many wrongs that have come between myself and our family over these last few years. I understand if you choose to ignore this request like the great many I've sent before it. Just know that this meeting has no connections to the Schnee Dust Company. I merely wish to have my family together once again."

Winter shook her head clear and looked out of the bullhead window. The Schnee mansion was just outside along with her father, mother, sister, and brother. Each of them stood prim and proper, but something was far different in the way they carried themselves. It only took a moment to figure out what was so out of place.

Weiss held a smile on her face. After trying to escape from their family home for so long, it was a jarring sight to see on the girl who had ultimately been forced back into their home.

Winter watched the girl shake in excitement as the bullhead opened its doors. Winter took her first step out, and the girl raced to her side to greet her and ask an assortment of questions. As calmly as she could, Winter stopped the girl. Didn't she know that their father was right there? Not to mention there were people from outside of the family surrounding them! Their father would chastise the girl for her actions! She might even be punish-

"Winter! It is so good to see you!" Jacques' distinctive voice rang out.

Winter stopped in place as the man walked over to greet her. "Hello Father…" She responded with a questioning tone.

"Please Winter, you must not be so formal. I know it may seem vastly different from what you might be expecting, but I promised you that this trip would be about family. I intend to keep it that way." Jacques spoke proudly with every word. Compared to the tone Winter knew so well, it seemed off-putting. There was no trickery in his words, no backhanded comments, no speaking for her, no underlying words, just genuine remarks.

Winter froze and watched her family with a concerned face. What had caused so much change in such a short amount of time? How could her father possibly make that much of an adjustment to himself?

She turned to Weiss who looked up at her with a wide smile. "Is that true, Weiss? This is truly meant to just be a family… get-together?"

The smile on Weiss' face grew. "Yes, Winter, it is. Dad has been apologizing for the last few weeks over what has happened in the past. He asked how he could ever make it up to me and… well… I asked for some time with you."

Weiss' trailing voice at the end of her statement didn't go unnoticed from Winter's trained ears. "You wanted time… with me?" She asked in confusion.

Weiss blushed a bit at her question. "Yes, Winter… I did." Her blue eyes met Winter's as she continued. "I told him that there was one thing I may never be able to forgive him for."

Winter raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

"I told him that I would never forgive him for forcing you away." Her eyes started to water with the admission. "Because all I ever wanted was more time with you."

Winter's shoulders shrunk. She fell out of her military composure for the first time since she had last spoken to Weiss alone. Weiss had wanted to spend more time with her? Her eyes widened in sudden realization. Jacques agreed with her.

He had been the one to send the letter to her. He had invited her to spend time with family. This event truly was his doing. Something that he had never done before.

Winter pulled her sister into a hug. To most, it would seem like a small gesture, but to Weiss it meant the world. Winter lifted her head from just over Weiss' shoulder to stare at the man who had brought it all on.

Jacques just smiled at the two of them as they held each other in a warm embrace. He may never know that kind of love from his daughters, but at least his simple actions had led to this moment. Winter and Weiss didn't have to forgive him for all that he'd done, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to try.

Thinking back to the letters that littered his office, it was the least he could do to keep his daughters safe.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **What's this? Jacques being... kind of nice?**

 **Yeah, it was hard to write too. I think that's what made this challenge so great! This is actually a continuation of the story I told in chapter 11 - Jacques is hunted by the Grimm. In my mind, it made sense to continue it because of the premise of the challenge. Jacques needed to have an epiphany, and being next to death and saved by Qrow is as good a reason to rethink his life as any!**

 **I know reading this might have been hard for some people to visualize because Jacques is such an ass in general, but I hope there was at least some thoughts to the contrary after reading the story!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	34. Raven's Reflection with Summer

**WPW84 – Raven visits Summer's grave and contemplates life, death, and her place in the world.**

* * *

 **Fork in the Road**

* * *

*Surviving. That's what I'm doing.*

Another tear fell down Raven's cheek.

*You are strong. They don't understand that. You are doing everything you can!*

Trees rushed past and her wings flapped widely. The cabin was far off now, but more importantly, so was Tai.

*Summer… You'll understand that… right?*

The trees broke off into a small field leading to a cliff's edge where a few wild flowers blew in the wind along with the clearing's tall grass. A small raven fell to the ground from its tiring flight, only for it to disappear and have a woman take its place.

Raven's bright red eyes took in her surroundings. The clearing seemed so empty, so unburdened by the events of the world. The view of the sunset from the cliff's edge echoed that in a far more powerful way. It was beautiful. All of it was. Especially the white stone grave that overlooked the very edge.

Raven took a step forward, but hesitated to take a second. *Maybe I shouldn't…* Her foot moved back to its original spot as she took another long gaze at the grave. The last light of the sun reflected off of the smooth white and the shimmering ray caught her eye. "And thus I kindly scatter…" She read aloud. "I guess there's no leaving now… is there, Summer?"

There was no response, but Raven hadn't expected one. Her eyes fell to her feet as she continued her path forward. "It's… It's been awhile, hasn't it?" She softly spoke aloud. After a few dozen steps with her eyes never leaving her feet, the grave came into her peripheral view.

"I… I bet you're wondering why I'm visiting. Well, to be honest I'm starting to wonder the same thing." Raven sighed and slowly took her seat on the ground. She closed her eyes when she finally settled and ran a single hand across the stone. "A lot has happened in the past few months." She started slowly. "I'm... not sure how much you really know. I'm sure Tai has tried his best to tell the story already."

Her eyes closed as she tried to find the best place to start. In truth, there was only one thing that she wanted to say. No matter how badly she wanted to forget about it. "They found me." She spoke with sorrow. "All of them did… They came to my camp and beat up my men." She shook her head at that. "They made them look like weaklings. You'd almost suspect I hadn't trained them."

"But they didn't come for my men, or the things we've collected. They came for me." Raven's hand left the stone and ran across her forehead. "I can't run anymore. They know that I'm out there, and they'll find me." Raven's hand shook as she brought it back down to her lap. She took a moment to stare into the distance to collect herself before speaking once again.

"I-I'm not going to be able to run any longer. It… It scares me." Her eyes met the rose emblem. "It scares me because I don't know what it will mean." She ran her fingers across the emblem and allowed herself to lay in front of the stone. "I don't stand a chance against *her*. I don't think anybody truly does." Her hand released itself from the rose. "How could anyone… Not even you could stand up to her…"

Raven slumped back down onto the ground. "I'm sorry… That's… that's not fair to you." She laid on her back and stared up at the sky as she continued. "I'm sorry, Summer. Truly, I am. It's just… why did you fight her?" She shook her head lightly at the sky. "I told you what it would lead to. I knew Ozpin couldn't be trusted… but you did it anyway."

There was a moment of silence. Raven listened to the wind, maybe hoping a voice would speak up in the gusts. Instead, a different voice echoed in her mind. One of a small girl who had reached her hand out to help her at Haven. She had silver eyes and short black hair. Almost a perfect resemblance of her mom…

"I met Ruby." She said with a wavering tone. "I-I'm not sure I should have. She has the same thoughts as you on the world. She wanted to work together to go against Salem and… and I called her a fool." Raven winced at that. "She… I worry that she's too much like you. The path she's going down, the choices she made, they are like you in every way."

Raven closed her eyes and made to stand. "If she continues that way… She might end up like you." As Raven stood up above the white stone, she glanced down at the rose emblem. It was a perfect match for the one that Ruby wore on her hood.

"If she really is just like you…" Raven's thoughts stirred a bit. Her face twisted from something of fear to a look that she hadn't wore in a long while.

Raven gave off a confident smirk. "I'm not wrong… Salem knows I'm out there… I can't run away from it." Even while admitting something that gave her so much fear, she smiled at the rose emblem. "But maybe… Maybe this time I can help."

Raven looked off the cliff and into the sunset. Talking here with Summer, it had always helped her.

"Thank you, Summer." She said softly. She turned towards the cabin, and more specifically towards Tai. "I'll say hello again soon, but right now… I have to some work to do."

A red blade cut through the air and a swirling mass of black and red opened up before her. Raven looked through the portal, and to the blond man standing at the other end. "Ruby's right, we're going to need to work together."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **And to top off Jacques being a 'good' father for a bit, here we have Raven turning heads on her decisions after having a nice talk with Summer.**

 **I actually really enjoyed this prompt, despite it being a shorter story compared to some of the other ones I've written. Just like the Jacques one, it might seem a bit out of character, but to be frank, to me it speaks to how far gone a lot of the adults seem to be in this series.**

 **I think many of them have the opportunity to turn things around, but they really need to make some hard decisions to do so. I just thought that visiting a grave of a friend after a long time away might be that moment for Raven.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	35. Ruby Drives GLaDOS Mad

**WPW85 – Ruby is drafted for Aperture Science testing. She proceeds to drive GLaDOS mad with her increasingly out-of-the box thought processes getting through the different courses.**

* * *

 **Glad to Meet You**

* * *

The lights along the wall lit up again. "Test Chamber 17." Ruby read aloud. "I wonder how many of them there are… So far, this has been easy!"

"Do not be so full of yourself." A synthetized voice called out. "The next chambers will be exponentially more DEADLY." The electronic voice sunk low, only to crack and buzz at the end of its sentence.

"Uh… Are you okay? You sounded a little bit… not okay at the end there." Ruby spoke with a bit of concern.

"Proceed with the test." The voice responded flatly. "Perhaps this time you will die. And then there will be cake."

"That's okay." Ruby spoke with cheer. "I'm pretty sure this chamber will be as easy as the last one! And I prefer cookies anyway!" The ground whirred to life in front of Ruby in response. Acid oozed out of the ground, the walls turned a dark grey, and the door out of the room was masked by a wall of turrets.

Ruby held up the completed portal gun that was graciously given to her just a few rooms prior. "Hmmm… This room seems like it might be a bit tougher…" She said focusing on the possible exit paths.

"Yes." The voice called out with a smug undertone. "The Aperture Science Sentry Turrets hold * _live_ * ammunition for our * _live_ * test subjects. As a safety precaution, please familiarize yourself with the extra lead in each round as lead poisoning will surely kill you if the impact from the-"

There was an interrupting crash, and the sounds of bullets firing filled the air. The shooting machineguns silenced after only a moment, and the high pitched voices of the turrets took their place. "Hello? Are You Still There? Hello?"

There was another crack in the chamber, followed by more random firing. All of the red lasers locked onto a target, but failed to track it as it suddenly burst into rose petals. The turrets' lasers spun in circles as the grouping of roses began to spin in a circle, only for it to start barreling towards them.

A moment later, Ruby impacted the exit door behind them. "Hi there!" She called out cheerfully. "Bye now!" The turrets turned to face the intruder, but by the time the first bullet struck the door, she was already gone. The gushing sounds of a viscous liquid gurgled from where she had taken off. The air rushed into the turrets, quickly followed by the flood of acidic ooze.

"Owowowowowow!" The turrets called out. Their machineguns fired widely into the air, but the bullets were quickly washed away by the tidal waves of radioactive waste. As they burnt down, so did the exit door behind them.

"Congratulations." GLaDOS spoke flatly. "You have evaporated test chamber 17 along with many of my data scanners. This test has been wasted by-"

"HA!" Ruby laughed from the safety of the test chambers entrance. "This test has been ' _Wasted'_! That was a good one! Yang would be SO jealous!"

The sounds of static and growling anger filled the air; however, the words spoken by the robotic voice came out just as flat. "The next test chamber will be the conclusion to our test. Please make your way through what remains of test chamber 17 so that the final testing in test chamber 18 may proceed."

"If you say so!" Ruby responded. In a quick burst of petals, she made her way across the room, through the liquefied door, and into the elevator towards her final challenge.

As the elevator behind the exit whirred to life, Ruby took in GLaDOS' choice of words. "Wait, you said this is the last chamber, right?"

"Yes." GLaDOS' voice boomed out. "Testing on the subject 'RUBY ROSE' has been finalized. Test chamber 18 will record important scientific data on the temperature at which a red cloak will be incinerated in the incinerator room. Following this test, your remains will be escorted from the incinerator room and outside of the Aperture Science Testing Facility."

"Awwww…" Ruby groaned. "I was just starting to have fun too…"

The elevator doors opened, and test chamber 18 was revealed. The room itself was flat. About fifty feet separated her from the exit door. However, blocking her path to the exit was the molten floor of the incinerator.

"Please, take your time in completing this test. Ignore the heat radiating from the floor and walls. That is merely an illusion created for the test. They are completely safe to the touch."

Ruby scoffed at that. "Computer Lady, do you really expect me to believe that? Yang and I played the floor is lava all the time as kids!" She aimed the portal gun at a few of the walls and fired, only to realize that the gun failed to open up anything along the walls. "Hey, Computer Lady, what gives? I thought this gun of yours was supposed to be okay in the heat!"

"The Aperture Science Portal Device is operating correctly. The Aperture Science Portal Device will not open a portal on non-lunar rock surfaces." There was a small laugh from the synthetic voice. "The Aperture Science Portal Device will withstand heat from the incinerator room, however, organic material will not."

Ruby desperately looked across the room. After all the other chambers, surely there must be a way out. She couldn't touch the walls, ceiling, or the floor, but had to travel nearly fifty feet… If that didn't kill her, the heat coming off of each of them would!

The voice laughed again. "Goodbye, Ruby Rose. Thank you for completing the Aperture Science Testing Program. Your data will provide results for the future-"

Gunfire cut off GLaDOS' speech. Ruby flew across the room, arching over the floor at a ridiculous speed. The exit door opened, and then closed behind her as she landed gracefully by the chambers exit elevators.

"Whew!" Ruby called out. "It was really hot in there! I have to admit, without those modifications those to this thing…" She hefted up the portal gun with the guns of a broken turret molded to it. "I might not have made it!"

A screeching noise immediately echoed from behind the elevator doors as a pod came to a halt. The door flung open in front of Ruby, and the voice spoke aloud. "Get out." The tone was flat, but no less venomous than the last 17 chambers.

"Awww… Can I at least keep one of the cute heart cube things?" There was a rumbling as a companion cube rocketed into the room and into the elevator next to Ruby. "Yay! Zwei Cube made it!"

There was an electronic groan and the elevator doors slammed around Ruby. "Just. Go."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello everyone!**

 **I know I keep getting longer between uploading stories, but I have a good excuse! In just over 3 weeks, I'm going to be getting married! Planning for it has been eating at my day to day schedule more than I would have thought, and on top of that I'm moving into a new place over the next few weeks as well! So I apologize if I disappear for awhile, but just know that I'm not abandoning FF!**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed! I have three more stories that I would like to upload over the next few days, but even if you don't see anything then, they will be coming eventually!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	36. Blake Writes Her First Book

**Prompt - Blake publishes her first book.**

* * *

 **Seeking Clarity**

* * *

 _People used to fear me and spit at the sight of me. They slandered my name, just because of how I looked. They found reasons to distrust me, despite never saying a word to me._

It was the truth. All of it. Blake felt it in her very core. All those years of fighting for faunus rights hadn't just happened on their own. It took years of mistrust and misdeeds towards the faunus race for them to get to where they stood now…

 _"And where are we now?"_ She asked herself.

Her eyes lifted from the screen on her lap. When it took a minute to adjust to the hospital lighting, Blake realized just how long she had been staring at it for. She blinked a few times to let things set, only to be reminded on why she was given her time to write in peace in the first place.

Weiss Schnee sat in a seat next to a small crib. Her eyes wide and watery as she rocked a small bundle in her lap back and forth slowly. From what Blake could tell, the girl was having a very difficult time figuring out just how tightly to hold the newborn in her arms.

"Weiss… when can I have a turn?" Ruby whispered to her.

Weiss shot the girl in red a look. "I will give her up once you rethink your next actions." She whispered back harshly.

"But Weiss…" Ruby groaned back. She held up a small red blanket that unfolded to reveal a small hood at the end. "She would look so cute!"

"Ruby…" Weiss groaned back. "I'm not having you dress a newborn in a-"

"Hello!" A singsong voice rang out from across the room. Nobody had to look at who it was. Instead, the three heads turned to glare at the woman who had stormed through the door to silently yell at her for being so loud. "Oh, uh, sorry…" Yang whispered to the rest of her team.

"What is so important that you thought to possibly interrupt her nap?" Weiss began to question.

Yang reached into a bag and began to fumble through the contents. "Well, Ice Queen, I found something that'll warm the girl up for sure!" When she found what she was looking for, Yang pulled out a small yellow onesie sized for the child. "Just look! It's perfect."

Blake read the writing on the outfit and her ears fell on top of her head. "Yang… I am not having my child wear something that says 'Hot Stuff'."

"Oh, come on!" Yang argued back. "It would be adorable! She could be like her Auntie Yang!"

"And _THAT_ is why she must not be allowed to wear it!" Weiss spoke flatly.

The blonde made to fire back, but a sudden wail from the newborn shut everyone in the room up. "Oh, now look! You made her cry!" Weiss called out.

"It wasn't until you said something that she started!"

"Guys. Guys!" Ruby shouted over everyone. "It's alright! She just needs to calm down." Ruby stepped over to the bundle in Weiss' arms and lightly pulled it up into her own. "There there…" Ruby spoke calmly. "You don't have to cry. We are all here for you."

With a couple bobs of her hips, the baby began to settle. A large smile grew upon Ruby's face as the little girl slowly fell asleep in her arms. "See." She spoke softly. "She just likes it when things are quiet." As she spoke, Ruby brought the little girl down into Blake's arms. "She's… She's just like her mom, isn't she?"

Blake looked at the small bundle cradled in her lap. She had strands of silver hair on her head, and two prominent ears sticking up from her head, much like her own. Blake couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Yes. She is, isn't she."

Blake pulled the little girl close to her chest and lightly kissed her forehead. This little girl… She was perfect. She was the reason the story on the screen needed to be written. Even if all the bad of the past existed, she was the proof that things could change. She was the proof that even in a hostile world, good things found their way to exist.

Blake rested the bundle on her chest and lightly typed at the screen beneath the girl.

 _Now, faunus and humans work together. It is something that I never thought I would be able to say. It took years for it to happen, and many hardships…_

Blake's eyes once again lifted to see her team watching her and the small baby on her chest. Yang was absolutely beaming at the sight of them. Ruby looked like she already had tons of adventures planned for the girl. Weiss looked like she was trying to hold back on the emotions she only let out when Zwei was around.

The words on the screen came to life as Blake typed out the last of her memoir.

 _But I had friends around me. A team that came from all different backgrounds, but found a way to work together not only as teammates, but as a family._

She gave the girl resting on her chest one more kiss on the forehead.

 _Because of them, I was able to experience this new life. I was able to have a child that could see the world as it is now. Bright and clear for everyone. She may not know it yet, but Clara has an amazing family. Nothing makes me happier than knowing I found them._

Blake saved her work and closed the screen. _Seeking Clarity._ Yang had come up with the title after Clara had been born. Everyone had agreed that it was a good name, save for the small pun. There was just one problem with it. Clarity had sought her out. It took her wonderful friends to make it all possible.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Here we see a reoccurring OC in the wild! A while back, there was the 'Drunk Auntie Pyrrha' prompt that myself and a few others came up with a wide array of OCs that were children of RWBY, JNPR, and even more so that Drunk Auntie Pyrrha could be, well, a drunk aunt.**

 **Of the ones I created, Clara Belladonna was a bit special. You see, those other writers liked their kids so much that everyone started writing stories of them interacting with the other kids made by other authors. The one that I chose to keep up with was Clara.**

 **Since then, on the side, I have written down probably more than a dozen short stories capturing her adventures with all the other kids that were created by the other writers. The stories range from sad, happy, joyous, and I'll admit that one was kinda lewd, but the point is they are all over the place!**

 **So if you like the idea of Clara and would maybe want her to show up in stories from time to time, let me know. I may just create another story like this to document the adventures of the little cat faunus girl!**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	37. That Time Qrow Was Wanted By Atlas

**WPW87 – The one time that Qrow Branwen was wanted by the Atlesian Military.**

* * *

 **Temper Tantrums**

* * *

Qrow sat in his chair with his feet hoisted on top of the counter. "Kid, you really telling me that we have to go to Atlas?"

Oscar tried to sit tall in his chair as all eyes surrounding the table turned to him. "Yeah… It was the last thing Ozpin mentioned before he… uhh… went to sleep."

"Ugghh…" Qrow growled to himself. "Fantastic."

As the man made for his flask, his niece called out to him from her spot at the table. "Uncle Qrow, what's wrong with Atlas? I mean, I know you fought with Weiss' sister when they came to Beacon, but I thought that was just between the two of you."

"Yeah, that was, Ruby." The man said before taking a swig of his drink. "Winter doesn't like me all that much for… certain reasons." While everyone was intent on listening to the older man, they all took turns taking in the sneer that Weiss was giving him. "In any case…" He continued. "The country has it out even worse for me."

"I can only imagine why." Weiss spoke in a vicious huff.

"Weiss, please. I'm sure it's not that bad!" Ruby called out in her uncle's defense. "Right, Uncle?"

Qrow sighed and dropped his flask on the counter. "Look, I suppose you kids deserve to know what you're getting into." He turned his attention to Yang. "No more lies. Ain't that right?"

Yang gave him a slight nod. "Yeah. So let's hear it. What did you do in Atlas that they have it out for you?"

Qrow leaned back further into his chair. "Well… I've already told you part of the story. I suppose now you're mature enough for the rest."

Everyone settled into their seats as Qrow began his tale. "It was my last mission before I regrouped with Oz back at Beacon. Thinking back on it, I was in a small village not too far from here looking for information."

"You managed to anger Atlas from something you did in Mistral?" Blake finally spoke up.

"Yeah. You come to learn that a lotta people from Atlas can be pretty short tempered." He responded flatly.

"Hey!" Weiss yelled out.

"Guys! Stop it!" Ruby interrupted. "This is important information!" There were a few grunts in response, but everyone ultimately listened to the girl in red.

"Alright, alright. Now where was I? Small town near Mistral… looking for information…"

"Wait, I think I remember this story…" Yang said softly. "You're not telling me…"

"Yeah." Qrow said with a smile. "I had been fighting Grimm for a long while and needed some rest. The town had an inn, so I figured I'd go get a room. THAT is where it all happened."

Yang scoffed at him. "Oh, I thought you were telling that story from back at Beacon. The one where you were defeated by…"

"The mere sight of the innkeeper's skirt length!" Qrow cut in. There were groans from around the table as Qrow finally sat up from his chair. "I got a whiskey, and she even picked up the tab. For once, I thought my luck was turning around…"

Ruby waved a hand in front of her face. "Alright, Uncle Qrow, just say it already. What was so bad about this girl then?" Her voice now uninterested in the story.

"There was nothing wrong with her, Ruby. In fact, it was one hell of a night!" More groans echoed through the room. "It was the next morning that did me in…"

"Would you just get on with it!" Weiss yelled at him. "We were hoping for information on our next mission! Not tales of your… indecency!"

Qrow waved her off. "See? The good old Atlesian temper. It's the same one that happened after Ironwood opened the door and saw me with the innkeeper."

The room immediately went quiet. The only one that managed to speak was the one that had read something like this in a book. "So… General Ironwood walked in on you and the innkeeper. What does that have to do with Atlas?"

Qrow shook his head. "Well, that's about the time that I ran. He yelled something about me sleeping with his girl and I booked it. The next day, there was a ten million lien bounty on my head."

The silence in the room continued until Blake once again braved the questions. "You… you slept with General Ironwood's girlfriend? And he put a bounty out for you?"

"Yeah. You heard right." Qrow answered flatly. "Like I said, Atlesian tempers…"

"You are deplorable!" Weiss yelled out.

Qrow nodded his head. "Yeah. You're sister said the same thing. That was around the time the ice queen made the bounty twenty million lien…" He placed a hand on his chin in thought. "Come to think of it, that might have added to the 'certain reasons' I mentioned before."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **Okay, so this one was a tad bit silly... But I hope it got a couple laughs from you!**

 **If you might have been able to tell by my other prompts, I find the Qrow and Winter ship to be pretty fun to write for. A lot of people have a great many opinions on shipping, but I always write for what ones seem to be the most fun, and those two are consistently at the top of my mind when it comes to their abilities to mess with one another.**

 **So whether or not you like the Snowbirds, I hope you can enjoy their antics!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	38. Challenge! (Blank) Is Actually Neo

**Challenge! – Not everyone is Neo, but (blank) is.**

* * *

 **The Fallse Maiden**

* * *

Terrifying. It was one of the many fearsome words that could be used to describe Salem's keep. Nothing seemed strong enough to break through the cold silence that filled the halls, the eerie clicks from the seer, and the black abyss that surrounded the castle on all fronts. From what Emerald could tell, it was even getting to Mercury…

"This place sucks." The silver haired boy called out. "When are they going to send us out for something exciting?" Emerald nodded along. At least he was disguising his need to get out of this place.

When they turned to their leader, she shook her head. A raspy voice forced itself from her throat, but neither follower could truly understand what she was saying.

Emerald stood from her position along their room's windowsill and took her place next to Cinder's bed. "Do you think you can whisper it? It might be a little easier…"

Cinder's hand flew to Emerald's mouth. Her eyes lit ablaze with the fire of the fall maiden's powers. Emerald froze and stared into them in fear. "You… W-will… not codd-coddle… me…" The rasps from Cinder's voice clearly hurt her throat as she spoke. However, the fact that she would speak through such pain only added to the weight of her demands.

Emerald sunk into her spot on the bed as Cinder rested her hand back on her side. "Y-yes, ma'am." Emerald managed to speak. "It won't happen again."

"Good." Cinder croaked. "I must… rest… You will… be my voice…"

Emerald nodded in confirmation. "Of course." Without another word, she moved back to her spot on the windowsill away from Cinder. Her mistress needed rest. If she healed soon… that might mean getting out of this place a little more quickly.

* * *

Talking with the rest of the group had been difficult. They were all supposed to be working together, yet Watts had decided he would pry on Cinder's inability to speak by throwing insults at her through the length of their meeting with Salem.

"Again." Came the chilling voice.

Emerald nodded at the order, placing a few fingers onto her head. After a moment of concentration, the image of Ruby Rose appeared on the ground at Cinder's feet. The woman's eyes lit ablaze at the sight and fire roared from the palm of her hand.

The image of Ruby was encased in the flames for a minute before a *Clink* sounded through the room. The fake Ruby split into pieces along the floor as Emerald's illusion was broken before the group's eyes.

"Very good, Cinder." Salem spoke out again. "I expect there to be no hesitation during your next encounter with this girl." There was a pause as her red eyes met Mercury's, and then Emerald's. "That goes for your followers as well."

Cinder heaved in exhaustion as her flames disappeared. Her hand gripped at the area Ruby once laid before returning to her side. "Ru...by. I… I want… her myself." The raspy voice echoed through the room. It had only been a few weeks, but already her voice was returning to her.

* * *

Much to Emerald's displeasure, Cinder had left an hour ago to talk with Salem. It meant that she was stuck in that confined room with Mercury once again.

"So how do you think those powers work?" The boy asked with a bit of skepticism. "I mean, I get it, magic exists, but how does she use it?"

Emerald shook her head at him. "What does it matter? She can control fire. I don't see how we could ever explain that."

She expected some kind of sarcastic response, but Mercury was too deep in thought. "The flames aren't hot." He spoke aloud. "When we fought the other one, the original maiden, I felt everything like it was the element itself that hit me."

Emerald looked on in confusion. Was he right? It was hot in the chamber that Cinder trained in, but shouldn't it have been far worse with the fire? She leaned forward on her windowsill and rested a few fingers on her forehead. "Okay, so the fire isn't hot. Does it really make a difference?"

"Suppose not." He said shaking off the topic. "I guess I've just seen her destroy that illusion one too many times. I figured that fire would get rid of it pretty quick, but it never seems to be the case. It always takes a while and then it goes instantly." He sighed and fell back into his bed. "Oh well. Just another reason to get out of here. Boredom is getting to me."

Emerald nodded along as the boy fell asleep. With those details, she couldn't admit that he wasn't wrong. Even with those strange truths, It didn't matter. It's not like Cinder had any reason to lie.

* * *

Cinder stared at the illusion of Ruby Rose at her feet. There were so many ways to dispose of the girl that she would much rather pursue, but the audience with Salem demanded a special approach.

*You know the plan. Deep breath. End it quickly.*

Fire erupted from Cinder's hand. It did nothing to burn the girl in front of her, but the stream held strong and true.

*Focus. You can do this. It's just one more step before you make it to the girl yourself.*

The flames burst into a large cloud around the girl. It should have scorched everyone in the room, but the fire bore no heat. Instead, as everyone flinched from the fire's light, a small sword flew through the air and straight through the illusion's heart. The Ruby Rose shattered before the crowd, and the flames died down a moment later.

"We will continue tomorrow." Salem's voice called out.

"Yes, ma'am…" Cinder's raspy voice responded. No matter how hard she tried, her damaged vocal chords seemed to struggle. It was just one more obstacle she faced on the path to Ruby Rose.

Salem nodded her head and turned to exit. Cinder followed shortly behind, gripping at the sword that had buried itself in the stone floor where the illusion once persisted. She placed it underneath her dress and signaled Emerald and Mercury to continue forward.

She had made it this far. Salem had entrusted her with allies. Allies that were far more powerful than those in the past. It was a good feeling, having others around her.

Neo smiled as the last of her illusions faded around her. Her eyes would remain amber, but changing her appearance had always been easy. She had faked her way through yet another one of Salem's trainings. Now, all she had to do was buy more time for her new allies to lead her to the one that killed Roman.

She would get her revenge on Ruby Rose. No matter who she had to be to do it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello everyone!**

 **So this challenge took me a very, very long time to write. Just looking at it, you might ask why because the prompt doesn't seem too difficult, but this was a special one.**

 **When someone challenges me with a prompt, I try to make it a little more impactful than normal. Whether that is done by inserting something into canon that seems like it shouldn't be able to fit (like this one), or by having it be especially emotional, or well thought out, or just especially outrageous, I want to make sure that my challenger gets something worthy of the challenge.**

 **This one was especially tricky because I could not for the life of me decide where Neo could sneak her way in. After a while, the idea hit me when I thought on Cinder's raspy voice, and the rest came right away. Who knew that not talking for so long could take such a toll? And, if that really was Neo, where is the original Cinder?**

 **Obviously this has it's holes all over the place, but replacing someone with Neo would no matter who you did it with! I was just proud that I was able to force her into the story where I did!**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	39. Qrow Hears Summer While He's Drunk

**Prompt – Qrow still hears Summer Rose as his inner voice of reason… but only when he is drunk.**

* * *

 **A Conscious Effort**

* * *

Qrow took his time slowly reading the label of the newly emptied bottle in his hand. He was more than a little surprised to find that the logo of his favorite brand of whiskey had changed. That quickly turned to being stunned when he realized the bottle was dated back nearly three months.

"Qrow, we've talked about this…" A wonderfully sweet voice spoke out. "Three months of drinking so fast that you didn't even notice the bottle had changed? I'm sorry, but you have to realize it at this point…"

Qrow twirled the bottle in his hand for a moment before tossing it into the trash. "Yeah, Sum, I know…" He spoke in a whisper.

"You know, but what do you intend to do about it?" The voice asked softly.

Qrow looked down towards his recently filled flask. His fingers curled around the edges as he brought it to his lap. "You're really going to get on me about this, aren't cha?"

There was a sigh from Summer. "Qrow, you know you need to stop. This isn't healthy…" There was a pause as he popped off the top of the flask and took a small sip. "Qrow! I'm serious!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." His gravelly voice responded. "Sum, look, I don't know what you want me to do about it. At this point, the damage has gotta be done."

Summer huffed at him. "No it's not! You still have a lot left in you, but it's going to be a lot less if you keep drinking the way that you do!"

Qrow slid back onto his bed and leaned his back against the headboard. It wasn't his bed, but then again, he didn't really have one. He hadn't even stayed in the same one for more than two nights in a row with all the jobs he had been doing for Ozpin.

He closed his eyes and mulled over Summer's words. "What if I don't?" He asked seriously. "What if tomorrow I mess up and it all ends there? Would having one more be that big of a deal?" There was silence in response. Qrow hummed to himself for a moment as he downed another sip.

"What about Ruby?" Summer spoke in a whisper. "And Yang. And Tai. And even Raven…" There was a small sniffle along with the words. The sound of it seemed to freeze Qrow in place. "Qrow… You promised…"

"I know." He said in a whisper. "Sum, I know I promised you…"

"Then why are you lying to me? Why are you making excuses?" The sniffles grew into something a bit louder. "Qrow, I want you to be safe. I want you all to be safe…"

"Sum, I know…" His voice raising ever so slightly in his response.

"Then why? Why won't you try?" She called towards him.

Qrow threw the flask on the bed. "Because I'm scared, dammit!" His voice boomed throughout the room. He opened his eyes to face his team leader, only to find the room dark and empty… exactly how he had entered it.

More silence filled the air. Qrow picked up the flask and slammed it against the inn room's bedside table. "Fine. You want me to quit, I'll do it. That'll be the last god damned bottle that I buy."

"Qrow, that's not what I want…" The voice responded in a whisper.

"Then what do you want, Sum?" He asked with a growl.

He felt a warmth in his chest start to radiate. "Qrow, I want * _you_ * to want to quit." Qrow clutched at his chest. "I want you to be healthy… I know it hurts, I really do. I just want you to know that there is something more in this world for you. Something more than drowning yourself in all of this…" There was a pause as the warmth in Qrow's chest receded. "There is… there is something more than holding onto me…"

A tear formed in Qrow's red eye. He felt it fall as he turned to face his flask once again. At one time, it had been a gift. The etching on the black band surrounding the metal had be customized for him. Even when she gave it to him, Summer was conflicted with it, but she did it anyway. She knew it would be used. She knew it would make him happy…

His body lurched to the side to fall into the bed facing away from the flask. His head spun from the quick motion, but not nearly as much as normal. He groaned as it continued to spin around him, and the warmth in his chest returned.

"Qrow… look at what you're doing to yourself..." Summer spoke softly. In that moment, Qrow could almost feel her hands running through his hair. "I'm sorry… I really am, Qrow, but this needs to stop…"

"I know…" Qrow spoke with a small catch in his voice. "But what about you, Sum? What happens to you then?"

Summer paused for just a moment before responding. "I… I'm not sure." The warmth surrounded Qrow in a wonderful embrace. "But no matter what, I'm still going to be with you. I always have been."

Qrow's muscles relaxed as the warmth continued to grow. "Sum… I don't want you to go…"

"I know…" Summer responded softly. Her voice now contained in a soothing calm. "But I'll be right here." She said as his chest radiated the warm sensation once again. "I won't leave you. I never will."

Qrow's eyes closed as his body sank into the bed. His head continued to spin, and the world around him felt so much better as he lay in the warmth. "I love you, Sum." He spoke in a whisper.

"I know." She answered with another embrace. "Now please… get some rest."

Qrow mumbled softly as his body slowly stopped moving. The world stopped spinning, and the dreams of the night began to play in his head. Tomorrow… Maybe tomorrow he would work up the strength to quit. It's what she would have wanted. No matter how much he wanted her to linger on in his head, he knew deep down that the beautiful voice in his heart would never leave him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey everyone!**

 **This prompt was actually a lot of fun to write for, despite how depressing it may seem to be. Qrow giving up alcohol, but also giving up Summer at the same time. It is a very hard pill to swallow, but it was immediately where my mind jumped to when I saw the prompt, and that's how I know it was a good one.**

 **When I say that a prompt is solid, it's because there is enough of an open ended start to play around with it however I feel like. This typically lets me throw in a few twists that you might not expect when you first read it at the top. Not only that, but there is a start to a situation that you might not expect.**

 **A great example was the 10,000 year old Grimm prompt. When that one first showed up, I was blown away with possibilities that could be done for it. Now, it specified that the Grimm would be meeting its end, but it allowed for you to decide how a Grimm got to be 10,000 years old in the first place. Was it a camper, sitting in the back as all the other Grimm got killed because it was using a 'legitimate strategy' to survive? Did it kill so much that it was all powerful? Was it a special type of Grimm? The possibilities go on and on.**

 **To me, this prompt was great because of those same type of possibilities. I could see someone playing this off as a comedy with no trouble at all, but my mind shifted to this story, which is far from it, and that's what makes doing this prompt challenge once a week fun!**

 **In any case, I hope my little rant was something a little extra, and maybe kind of interesting for you. If not, I hope you enjoyed the story all the same!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	40. Lyrics Of A Song Changed For RWBY

**Prompt - Take a song of your choice, and rewrite the lyrics to be about RWBY.**

 **(Rivers and Roads – The Head and the Heart)**

* * *

 **Relish the Journey**

* * *

 _A few days from now we'll all be gone. All our friends will be sent away._

Jaune strummed at his guitar. His old friends sat around him in a circle to listen to him play. His voice lifted to hit the notes the best he could, but everyone knew it wasn't the song that was important, but the last moments spent together before they each went on their way.

 _And we're going to better places. But our friends will be gone away._

Team RWBY smiled at the blond as he sang. All of them had placed their weapons in the middle of their circle. It was just another part of their ritual. Spending their last few moments in peace, far removed from the dangers of the world and the need for their prized possessions.

 _Nothing is quite like it once was. And I miss this place like Hell._

Silver eyes looked away from Jaune as he continued. Behind him, Beacon tower stood taller than it had ever been when they all attended the school. Now, the students that resided there were doctors, inventors, and yes, even huntsmen, but the diversity had been opened up thanks to their actions.

 _And I guess it's just as well. But I miss this place like Hell._

No longer were huntsmen needed in vast numbers. Salem had been defeated, and the Grimm drawn back further into the darkness of Remnant than ever before. It wouldn't be long before even the greatest of the evil creatures fell to brave souls that challenged them each and every day.

The actions of this small group of friends had been the decider in the great war. The true great war. It had left them scarred, but bonded together as a team. Something that the new students may never see in their lifetimes. It wasn't something that anybody would lament in, as the people of Remnant were more prosperous than ever.

 _Been talking 'bout the way things change. And my family's gone so far away._

It didn't take long for everyone to make it back to their homes. Blake to Menagerie, Weiss to Atlas, Ruby and Yang to Patch, and Jaune, Nora and Ren back to Jaune's family home. It was such a quick separation for what seemed to be a lifetime spent together, but they were at peace now. Peace meant things were different. It meant that they would need to find some other way to come together.

 _And if you don't know what to make of this. Then we will not relate._

Eyes fell to the surrounding buildings. The dorm room lights lit up Beacon as most of the student body took their time getting to bed. They would never understand just what their team had gone through to help things get to this point. How could any of them?

 _So if you don't know what to make of this. Maybe we helped change your fate._

Ruby smiled as she thought on her students. They may never relate to the huntsmen of the past, but it was a good thing. They would never experience the hardships and trials quite like those of the past. Nor would Jaune's students, or Weiss', or any of the students taught by the next round of professors at Beacon.

 _Rivers and roads. Rivers and roads. Rivers 'til I reach you._

The group began gathering their weapons from the small pile before them. It was time to bring the students out into what remained of the battlefield. It would be far less dangerous than what they had experienced in the past, but the song of good luck was one that they always sang before they went on their way.

 _Rivers and roads. Oh rivers and roads. Oh rivers 'til I reach you._

Ruby gripped Crescent Rose in her hands and slid it onto it's place on her back. It might be awhile before she saw her friends again. She would be taking her class out on her own, and it was a long trip away to what remained of the Grimmlands. She gave each and every one of her friends a hug before they turned to the bullheads.

 _Rivers and roads. Oh rivers and roads. Rivers 'til I reach you._

The second year huntsmen class watched as the fabled team of huntsmen said their last goodbyes and started their walk towards them. Even after all they went through, their professors would be there to lead them onward, even if it meant dragging them away from their friends and family.

 _Rivers and roads. Oh rivers and roads. Rivers 'til I reach you._

They all did it with a smile. No matter the danger, one simple fact remained. The distance may be far, but all that separated them was Rivers and Roads. Nothing would stop them from being back together.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **This prompt (and the next two) were written for the Writing Prompt Wednesday Free For All event on /r/RWBY on reddit. This is the first time in a while that I chose from the prompt master list that is held there (Roughly 700 different RWBY prompts) to write a story that I really felt inspired to write.**

 **Now it may be sappy, but the thing that's inspiring me at the moment is my fiancee as we are getting married in one week. So the next three prompts will all tell a bit more about us. The first one was a song that hits us both pretty hard because we used to watch the TV show'Chuck' together and the series ended with Rivers and Roads playing up the mood. So naturally it immediately came to my mind as I scrolled past the prompt.**

 **With that said, it was fun to tinker with the lyrics a bit, even if I kept them primarily the same. The song being about the distance between two people and the journey to get back together hits pretty hard, and I wanted to keep that, but I thought it was nice to get a few RWBY specific shoutouts in there!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	41. RWBY Is Narrated Like Burn Notice

**Prompt - Have any character narrate their actions as if they're in Burn Notice.**

* * *

 **The Greatest Weapon**

* * *

Ruby fired a round from Crescent Rose and her body lurched into cover. The small piece of steel she found herself behind managed to take most of the dust rounds fired in her direction, but the sounds of a few whizzing by her head struck her nerves a bit. With her aura as low as it was, one of those might have done the job. She took once glance down at her weapon and locked a round into place. She waited until the sounds of the White Fang's bullets died down, and turned the corner.

 _"When you're a huntress, ammo conservation is one of your greatest allies."_

Before her, five White Fang members had rifles aimed her way. Four of them appeared to be reloading, and one hadn't quite figured out that his gun was about to let off a very disappointing clicking noise instead of its usual bang. Ruby smirked at the sight and took aim.

 _"When the situation gets heated, having a few extra rounds to spare could be the deciding factor between life and death, which is why it's important to count off every time you pull the trigger."_

Crescent Rose made itself known and a White Fang member toppled to the ground. "Eight." Ruby called out. Another bang. Another member of the Fang left holding onto an empty magazine as they fell. "Seven." Ruby took aim at the next one and fired. The round whirred over the dog faunus' head as he fell to the ground at the sight of his allies. "Shoot! Six!"

 _"When it comes down to conserving rounds, actually hitting your target is even better than counting down. A single miscount doesn't matter if you hit all five shots in a half empty fifteen round clip."_

Ruby pulled back on Crescent Rose to load the next round, but the precious seconds lost showed their face. One of the White Fang members was nearly reloaded. More enemy rounds meant suppressive fire. Suppressive fire meant praying a thin metal sheet would save her life.

She fired another round, this time it nailed her target before dust rounds launched at her in return fire. "Five." Ruby spoke in an annoyed tone. The metal behind her scraped and pinged as the rounds threatened to break through. The girl closed her eyes. "Com'on… Where are yo-"

There was a roar from a new voice, as a nearby brick wall broke open. "STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

 _"If ammo conservation doesn't do the job, it's best to rely on a different one of a huntsmen's greatest tools."_

There were screams as the remaining White Fang members turned their attention to the scorching blonde. The girl flew at them with tremendous speed, before they were sent flying away towards the far end of the building from one of her fists.

 _"You see, when you're a huntress, having backup is a must. Whether it's a single Grimm, or a terrorist organization plotting things underground, working as a cohesive unit with your team is another one of the greatest strengths a huntress can possess."_

"Yang! You made it!" Ruby called out to her sister. Rose petals filled the air as she wrapped the blonde in a hug.

Yang shook her head while rolling her eyes at the girl. "Maybe next time you won't try something like that on your own!"

Ruby chuckled in her sister's embrace. "Yang, we're huntresses! You know what that means!"

Yang playfully put a finger to her chin. "I don't know… what does it mean Ruby?"

Ruby let go of her sister with a pout and twirled Crescent Rose until its scythe head buried itself into the ground. "When you're a huntress, you have to be badass sometimes!"

Yang stared at the girl with wide eyes. "And who taught you that?"

Ruby thought to the voice in her head. The one that always seemed to guide her in the right direction whenever she tried to think of what a real huntress would do. "Uncle Qrow!" She called out happily.

A loud slap echoed out as Yang's hand impacted her forehead. "Of course it was Uncle Qrow…" Ruby laughed at her sister as the two of them made their way outside of the building. With the White Fang stronghold taken down, the police could finish up the rest.

Perched on the building, a crow watched the two girls exit towards the bullhead that would take them back to Beacon. It cawed as it jumped off the roof to follow after them.

 _"When you're a huntsman, sometimes you have to talk up the new guys. In truth, a lot of the other advice is bullshit, but I can tell you what isn't… confidence. Cause when you're a huntsman, a little bit of that goes a lot further than dust rounds. Sometimes the confidence to act is a huntsman's greatest weapon of all_."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Day two of the Free For All prompts, and this one was really fun! If you haven't seen Burn Notice before, I highly recommend giving the show a try. It's a fun ex-spy action show that has a great perspective where the main character narrates his own actions and thought processes. It makes for a fun and exciting show which I hope I was able to capture here!**

 **Also, I wanted to call the chapter 'I Burn Notice', buf I got vetoed for it...**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	42. A RWBY Wedding

**Prompt – Weddings of RWBY characters.**

* * *

 **Glitter and Gold**

* * *

When she walked in, all eyes were on her. This time, well, eyes were on her for a different reason this time. There was organ music playing loudly in cheer as Yang softly stepped through the doors. Gone was the confidence that she had exuded throughout her life. Instead, the beautiful girl took note of every eye watching her with shaking knees.

In front of her stood a carpeted aisle. It would take nearly one hundred and fifty steps on shaky legs to make it to the front. She had counted them during the rehearsal. At the end stood Lie Ren, dressed in a black tuxedo and standing tall in it. In his hands was a large book which made Yang smile. It was another one of a hundred signs that this was all actually happening.

Her face beamed at the sights before her, white and yellow flowers in abundance, and friends and family all around. An arm wrapped around hers, causing her legs to straighten immediately. Her shimmering lilac eyes turned to the source and found her father, Tai, in a tuxedo of his own. His face was cleanly shaved, and a tear could clearly be found in his eye. The over joyous occasion washing over the man as he gripped his daughter tight to bring her down the path.

"Are you ready?" The man said with a forced confidence. "Now's your last chance to escape."

Yang held a small laugh back. "Thanks, Dad. I needed that."

"Of course, Yang." He said while looking at her with a smile. "Just remember, you're still my Sunny Little Dragon. Having another blond in your life doesn't mean that gets taken away from me."

Yang's head rested on the man's shoulder as they started their walk. "I know, Dad. I wouldn't want to be anything else."

The man wiped a tear from his eye. When Yang saw her father finally compose himself, she realized they were already halfway down their path. Her eyes lit up as the final member of the great hall was revealed.

Jaune Arc stood as tall as he could. His legs trembled at the sight of his fiancée stepping down the aisle towards him. Her dress was white and flowed away from her at her hips. It trailed off behind her where it splashed slightly yellow and orange as if leaving behind a trail of fire in her wake. But more than just her dress, Jaune stood in awe of the woman herself. Her lilac eyes seemed to glisten under the bright lights. Her long yellow hair flowed elegantly behind her and down to her back where it had retained all of its usual waves. To the normal eye, it may seem like she hadn't down anything to it, but Jaune could pick out every last small detail the woman had gone through to make it perfect for the occasion.

He only drew back from his stares when the girl started lightly laughing in his direction. There he stood, high above everyone next to his longtime friend. His tuxedo was sharp, and the white shirt was pressed perfectly behind a bright yellow vest and tie. However, he looked nowhere near as stunning as the woman before him… who had caused him to forget to keep his mouth from hanging wide open at the sight.

Taiyang spoke a few words to Ren, but everything blurred as Yang took her spot at the alter across from him. The world then slowed when her eyes met his, and he could barely hear the words that Ren spoke aloud. There she was, the woman that he never thought he would have. Yang Xiao Long, the woman who Jaune Arc should never should have never been able to woo.

Her mouth started to move in response to something Ren had asked of her, and he found himself doing something of the same shortly after. He couldn't exactly hear the words, but he felt them leave his mouth as the already slowed time moved to a crawl.

"Jaune? Jaune, you may wish to begin." Ren spoke with ever the calm voice.

Jaune blinked and looked around. Everyone in the audience was staring at him, and the paper that had somehow found its way into his hands. He turned his head to the side to see his best-woman Nora with a beaming smile and thumbs up in encouragement. Oh, he'd have to thank her later.

His shaking hands rose to his face, and he began to read off the words that he had written down weeks before this moment. Trying his best to make sure they were perfect.

"I-I'm sorry for making you all wait there… I was kinda a little speechless there for a moment." He said looking back to Yang. She rolled her eyes at him, but the smile and blush on her face gave her away.

Jaune coughed lightly into his hand and began. "Yang Xiao Long, when we first met it… To be honest, we had probably the worst first meeting we could have." He turned to the audience. "For those that might not know, I was gifted the name 'vomit-boy' and was immediately out of an allowance for a new pair of shoes for my beautiful bride here."

There were a few disgusted faces, but Jaune smiled when his family was able to laugh at his expense. The successful joke built him up to continue onward. "After that start, I don't know how I was able to recover. You… well you're perfect. I don't even know what else I can say. You're confident in situations I could never be. You're so passionate towards everything you set your mind to. You're stronger than anybody I've ever known, and… And I can only hope to do my best to make sure you feel the same from me."

"That is why I, Jaune Arc, vow to you that I will always be by your side, to see that you continue to burn brightly in front of everyone you meet. I vow that I will take care of you in any way I can, whenever I can, however I can, because I will never let the flame that is Yang Xiao Long flicker down. I… I never thought that I would be at this point and now I can't picture my life without your love and support in it. I love you, Yang Xiao Long. And that love… well, it's so bright that I think I burn a little too."

Jaune let the note slip to his pocket as he forced himself to meet Yang's eyes. There he saw them, the beautiful lilac sparkling with tears that tried to fall in between battering eyelashes. Her lips were pressing tightly together to dull the emotions, but it was obvious that they were just a single push from falling out.

Ren spoke a few more words, and Ruby Rose carefully stepped out from behind Yang with a bright yellow bouquet in her hands. She let a hand fall into a small pocket on her red dress, and she gently lifted out two metal objects for Jaune. When he finished taking them in his hand, she smiled at him with shimmering silver eyes that failed to contain the tears. She spoke no words as she took slow steps in her heels back around Yang.

And then it was just the two of them again. Jaune extended a hand, and Yang picked out a silver ring with gentle precision. He held out his left hand and the ring slid snugly down his finger. He turned to around to get a look at the new cool sensation before reaching his hand up to do the same to her.

"And with that…" Ren's voice called out louder than anyone had heard him speak before. "I pronounce you husband and wife! Yang, you may now kiss the husband!

Jaune looked over at Ren with a confused expression before being bent backwards. A pair of lips pressed firmly into his, and the world stopped. There were cheers and whistles, but Jaune heard only the silence of his wife's embrace.

It took just a few short seconds, but when Yang lifted him back to his feet, his head swam like it had been hours. A goofy grin plastered over his face, and a hand tightly wrapped its fingers in his. The couple looked over at the crowd, tears and smiles over every face in the building. At the sight, all they could do was smile as nothing could ruin this happily ever after.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Well, my wedding day is quickly approaching, and I decided to start my small hiatus on this story with something special. I want to give each and every one of you readers a special thanks. Over the past few months, I feel like I've grown a lot as an amateur writer, and I had each and every one of you readers along with me during the whole thing! So thank you everyone for reading. It truly means a lot to me that you are giving my little hobby a chance but clicking on the title.**

 **I look forward to many future stories with you all!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	43. Velvet's Calendar

**Prompt - Velvet released the Couples of Beacon Calendar. The 'couples' aren't so pleased...**

* * *

 **Forging Relationships**

* * *

"WHAT?!" The shrill cries of the Schnee heiress rang through the halls. "Who is responsible for this… this book of lies!?"

Ruby placed a gentle hand on her teammates shoulder. "Weiss, it's not so bad." She said calmly. "Jaune is actually really nice if you would just talk to him without-"

"That's my point exactly, Ruby!" Weiss interrupted with a yell. "I don't even talk to Jaune. What makes whoever made this calendar think we are a couple?!"

Ruby sighed and scratched the back of her head. "Well, I don't know." She pondered the idea of her friend and teammate dating in her head. "You two might make an alright couple. Maybe the person that made this is just trying to get you together."

"Together? With that dunce? I would never!" Weiss said in yet another resounding voice.

"Oh…" Ruby sighed softly. "Well, maybe we should find the author. Have them change the calendar before too many get out or something."

Weiss nodded her head. "Yes. That sounds like an excellent idea. The quicker the calendar is changed, the fewer will be printed." She held the calendar in front of her face and began inspecting it for a name. "Alright, whoever you are, I hope you're ready for an investigation into your tainted schemes!"

"I can't believe this is happening." Blake groaned. "Things were going so well. Now this?"

Yang cautiously watched her friend scrunch further into the sheets of her bunkbed. "I mean, Sun's cool right? Just think, it could've been Cardin."

A pair of bright amber eyes locked onto Yang. "Yang, this is serious." Blake took a deep breath. "Things with Sun were just starting to get smoothed out. We were friends and we were just starting to hang out without people thinking we were, well, together."

"And now that's ruined." Yang finished for her.

Blake nodded and attempted to sink further into her mattress. "Now it's ruined." She spoke in a whisper.

Yang watched the pain on her friends face and ran a hand through her long hair. "Well, there's got to be some way to fix this. Have you seen Sun's reaction to it? Maybe he's upset with it too. Like you said, you guys were just starting to get things smoothed out."

"And if he isn't and things just become complicated again?" Blake questioned softly from under the covers. "What if… what if saying no a second time…"

Yang rushed to her friend's side and wrapped her in a hug. "It'll be okay, Blake. I promise. Sun won't stop being your friend…"

"And how are you so sure?" Blake said sharply.

Yang was silent for just a moment as she held onto her friend. When she finally found her voice, it came in a whisper. "I never stopped."

Blake only just heard the words through the covers. "Yang?" She questioned softly.

Yang's arms held the girl tightly. "Just… just let him know that it was a mistake. That whoever made this thing was wrong to do so. Make sure he knows that before he ever gets his hopes up. That is, if that's what you want him to feel."

"It is." Blake said with a nervous voice. "But, Yang, what about you? Where is all of this coming from?"

There was a small sniffle from the blonde. She had tried to hide it in the sheets of the blanket, but Blake's flickering cat ears managed to pick it up. "It… it's nothing. Just please, go tell Sun. I'll… I'll go find the one that made the calendar, okay?"

Blake nodded underneath the covers. Her arms desperately searching for a way to hold her teammate. She had been right, this calendar had ruined everything.

"Who did this!? I'll break their legs!"

"Nora, please, calm yourself. We certainly can't harm somebody over… well, this." Ren tried to reason with the girl.

Nora took one look at their silent teammate sitting between them and instantly the calm from Ren washed away. "No! Whoever did this must pay!"

Ren sighed. "Nora, it's just a picture of you napping on my shoulder. You do that quite often."

Nora took one more look at their picture in the 'Couples Calendar'. In truth, it was her new favorite photo and she would find whoever had created the thing so that she could add the picture as the wallpaper on her scroll. However, what Ren was clearly missing was the photo on the * _other_ * page. That didn't even mention Pyrrha who was currently doing her best to keep calm from the sudden sight of Weiss and Janue as a couple.

"Ren, we must find whoever did this!" Nora shouted out again. "We are gonna take the whole album off their hands and stop this calendar where it stands!"

"Nora, these have gone out to the whole school." Ren spoke flatly. "There will be a few hundred of these out there."

Nora tried to hide a smile for a moment. One hundred photos of her and Ren together? She must have them all… But then, that would also mean getting rid of the picture of Weiss and their leader! It would be a double whammy! And those are the best kinds of whammy!

"Well then we better get started finding them!" Nora called out. "C'mon! Up up up! Let's get moving!"

Ren groaned lightly as he stood from his meditative seat on the bed. He took one step before reaching out a hand to help Pyrrha from her spot on the floor. When she took it, he noticed just how light her grip was. Perhaps she was coming down with something. Maybe one of his special health shakes would be needed. That is, after going on Nora's calendar hunt.

Coco counted the lien cards stacked on team CFVY's dorm room countertop. "Velv, you really outdid yourself with this calendar! This thing is really selling!"

Velvet sat on the small loveseat between her team's bunkbeds. Her eyes remained glued to the photos on her camera. "I don't know Coco…" She spoke softly. "I hope everyone understands what I was trying to show in my pictures."

"Eh, they'll get it." Coco dismissed. "Jaune and Weiss have their swords, Blake and Sun have those akimbo weapons that combine with each other, and Ren and Nora… Wait, why Ren and Nora? Their weapons aren't anything alike."

Velvet's ears perked up. "Oh, that's just because I think they make a cute couple." She held up her camera to show the two sleeping on the bench. "See? They're so adorable."

Coco pulled her glasses down with one finger before rolling her eyes at the girl. "Yeah, whatever you say Velv." She tapped the lien cards into a neat stack and placed them on the counter. "Point is, they'll get it. I mean, who would think you're trying to play matchmaker on a calendar?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey there everyone!**

 **Long time no posts! So, let's see, in the past few months I've gotten married, moved into a new home, went on a honeymoon, and got a new job! That was a hell of a lot of life events to happen at once, but now that everything seems to have settled down, it's time for more fanfiction short stories!**

 **I had a few that I wrote during some down time, but failed to find time to upload, so be ready for some new entries to come out fairly soon! There's that, and then The Other Side of the Coin which most certainly needs an update so I can get my second full length story really rolling.**

 **Hopefully within a few weeks I'll be back into the swing of things writing wise, but in the meantime I hope these prompt responses don't read too much worse than my normal!**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	44. Ruby's Bodyguard From a Different World

**Prompt - A fictional character from another universe acts as Ruby's bodyguard in the events of Volume 4.**

* * *

 **Grossly Incandescent**

* * *

The trail to Mistral seemed never-ending. Ruby's eyes scoured the map for the reasoning, but once again came to the dreaded conclusion. "Ughh… How much further is it to Mistral?" She groaned.

Her three teammates gave her a weary eye. "Uh, Ruby, how long did you think it would take to walk to Mistral?" Ren asked casually.

Ruby let the map fall into her chest. "I don't know. Maybe a few weeks?"

The two boys sighed, but Nora's gasp took precedence over their groaning. "Guys…" She spoke hesitantly. The makeshift team quickly straightened up and followed her sight, tracking down whatever could have worried Nora of all people.

Not too far down the trail was smoke. It moved slowly over the treeline in a thick black cloud that struck memories of a school they had left not so long ago. Without a word, the team readied their weapons and ran as fast as they could into whatever laid ahead.

* * *

The village never had a chance. It only took a few moments for Ren to find claw marks and determine the force was Grimm. Being so far away from the city, help would've been far too slow to save anyone, even with the CCT still intact.

Ruby moved to the eastern wall and away from her teammates. When the lone huntsman of the town had fallen right before her eyes…

She looked up into the setting sun as tears filled her eyes. "It's not fair…" She whispered.

"No. I suppose it is not." A voice answered back.

Ruby jumped in place, quickly rubbing at her tears. "Ah! I-I'm sorry. I didn't see you there and…"

"Do not fret." The man's calm voice responded. "It would appear that I have taken away your moment with the sun. I should be the one offering an apology."

Ruby cleared her eyes to get a better look at the man. His face seemed pale and sickly, almost as if the life had been drained out of him. The surprising detail was not his skin tone though, it was the armor he wore.

Like an old fashioned knight, he wore chainmail and steel plated armor over his body. The chest piece was covered in a white cloth with a yellow and orange painting of a sun in the middle. Next to where he sat, a tall cylinder shaped helmet laid on the ground as he continued to stare into the sunset.

Ruby watched him carefully before responding. "My moment with the sun? Who… who are you?"

The man refused to look her way as he spoke. "My name is Solaire of Astora. It is a pleasure to be in the presence of one who admires the beauty of the sun such as myself."

Ruby very cautiously took a few steps back. "Uh huh…" She mumbled out. "My name is Ruby Rose."

"It is a pleasure, Miss Ruby Rose." Solaire said with a smile on his face. He appeared to take no notice of her attempted escape as he reached into his pocket. "An admirer of the sun such as yourself has been hard to come by. I hope that you don't find me to be a fool for seeking out a sun of my own."

Ruby's silver eyes darted through her environment for an escape. "No… No. Of course not." She said nervously. "I should really be getting back to my friends though..."

"Of course!" Solaire said in excitement. "Before you go, please, take this. It will serve you in your jolly cooperation!" Solaire's hand found the item he was looking for within his armor. His eyes remained focused on the sunset as a white stone glimmered in his hand. "Should you ever need assistance in the journeys to come, use this soapstone to call for my aid."

Ruby eyed the stone curiously. The man was weird, but he didn't seem like he had bad intentions… She reached to his hand and took the soapstone, tossing it into one of her pockets.

"Wonderful!" Solaire said with a smile. "I wish you safety on your travels."

Ruby nodded her head. "Uh… yeah. You too." She moved to climb over the village wall. She just hoped that he would stay in his place.

"Praise the sun, Ruby Rose." He called from his spot along the wall.

Ruby sped up her climb. She wasn't sure what that man was on about, but getting back to her team would hopefully rid her of the memory.

* * *

Tyrian cackled at the team of young huntsmen and huntresses. "Oh, the rose has thorns! My little flower, I'm here to whisk you away with me!"

"That's not going to happen." Nora said firmly. The rest of team RNJR quickly taking a ready stance, holding their weapons up for combat.

Tyrian licked his lips. "I was hoping you might say that."

From off the rooftop, Tyrian lunged at the group, driving a kick straight into Jaune's shield. Ren and Nora made to strike, but Tyrian simply blocked Ren's blades with his own while bending around Nora's hammer.

Ruby watched in horror. He was too fast to hit, and with her team so close, her weapon would be more of a nuisance than an aid. She thought on what she could possibly do to help when a peculiar stone grazed across her wrist through her pocket.

"That man…" Ruby said aloud. "It's worth a shot!" She pulled the stone out of her pocket and threw it on the ground. The stone shattered against it leaving a strange symbol where it crashed.

Tyrian jumped back from the symbol, unsure of what it was meant to achieve. The rest of team RNJR quickly regrouped with Ruby on the other side of it. "Uh, Ruby, what was that?" Jaune asked in confusion.

"I… I' m not so sure." Ruby said quietly. As she did, the symbol began to glow yellow. Slowing gaining in intensity as the seconds passed. "But I think it's going to help."

A moment later, an arm reached out from the symbol, then a head, a chest, and legs. The glowing body's arms reached high above its head in a tall stretch before relaxing it's pose.

"Um… Mister Solaire?" Ruby asked quietly. "I need your help…"

The golden being before her drew its sword and raised its shield towards Tyrian. "Very well, Ruby Rose." Solaire spoke aloud. "Then let us engage is jolly cooperation!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everybody!**

 **For those of you who have never played Dark Souls, Solaire is the knight with a big sun emblem on his armor that everybody memes about. In a world full of crazy creatures of darkness, he seemed like the perfect bodyguard for Ruby based on the prompt.**

 **While it is a crossover, I hope it was still enjoyable to those who have looked into both series a bit!**

 **As always, thank you reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	45. Yang Dies at the Fall of Beacon

Prompt – Yang died during the fall of Beacon and now team RWBY must move on without her.

* * *

 **The Misshapen Spark**

* * *

A shaking step caused Blake to stumble forward another few feet. The wound in her abdomen flared out yet again causing a searing pain to rock through her stomach. She coughed back the bile rushing to her throat as she hastily forced herself to move forward yet again.

A few pained groans escaped during the near fall. Her cat ears flickered at the noise that was not her own. Her teammate's breathing was getting worse. The constant loss of blood from just under her bicep couldn't be stopped by the little black bow from off her head, nor by the orange bandana the girl had been wearing around her neck.

Blake's ear flickered once again at the sounds of a familiar voice not too far away. "Ren! It's Blake! She's… Ren! Ren! Get over here! Yang, she's hurt! Call for help!"

Blake took another step forward. Her body burned with the movement and her knee buckled under the stress. The two girls fell to the stone covered ground in a heap. More angry groans roared from the blonde that had fallen on her back and all Blake could manage were a few gasps of apologies she wished she could say louder.

The faunus reached out a hand to hold the only one her partner had left. The girl laid eerily still, and her light grip caused Blake's body to tremble terror. With all her might, Blake turned to look into Yang's lilac eyes. The girl was looking back, but the fading color... it made it seem as if she was looking right though her.

"Yang... Yang, no. You aren't... you aren't leaving!" Blake's voice immediately caught the attention of the others. Even without the medical help, Ren and Nora quickly rushed over to her side. "Yang! Stop it! Stay awake! You can't! You can't fall asleep!" Blake could feel Ren's hand move to her shoulder. She was shaking violently now, her voice going hoarse.

The blonde girl spoke no words. Her eyes drifting shut before her friends. The blood from her severed arm continued to seep through the makeshift bandage, taking its toll by the second. "Y-Yang... no... no you can't... Ruby... She'll be right back and then-"

A flash of silver light shone from Beacon's tallest tower. The brightness blinded everyone as the Grimm dragon froze in place. When it stopped, when the light finally washed away, Blake saw her teammate, her partner, with her eyes closed. Blake couldn't possibly understand what happened at the tower. She could think the worst, but it wouldn't matter. In that moment, there was only one thing. Yang Xiao Long lay dead in her arms. And she was to blame.

* * *

She ran.

Weiss shook in her seat on her father's airship. Her mind continued to replay the scene over and over. She had just fought off the paladins with every ounce of strength she could muster. She was exhausted when she made it back to the evacuation site, and the world had gone white in a flash.

She thought she had passed out. She thought that, for just a moment, Cinder had won. When the flash subsided, she wished it had been that easy.

In front of her eyes laid her two teammates, Blake and Yang. Blake's eyes were red and swollen, her body shaking in her spot on the ground. Next to her… Next to her was Yang. Her eyes were closed, her body still, but her arm…

Weiss choked back tears in her seat. Yang's arm… the image of it wouldn't leave her mind. Whatever had happened to her, it was too late. Her teammate, her friend, had been injured so severely that…

The tears couldn't be held back any longer. Yang Xiao Long was dead. She and Blake had both been hurt, but Yang had paid for the fight with her life.

Weiss brought her hands to her face to mask the sobs. She had lost friends, employees, even family in the past, but this loss, it was so much more. Yang was more than just her friend. She had spent every day with her for months. They had bonded like siblings. Now… now she was just… gone.

Her body curled up into her seat as the weight of the loss struck her once again. Her friend was dead. She wouldn't be coming back and now Weiss was heading to Atlas, far from the only people that she wanted to be by. Far from her teammates…

Weiss' breath caught in her throat. Her teammates… Ruby… She was nowhere to be seen after that flash of light and Blake… Blake had run away.

Weiss shook her head. After everything they had been through, after all they had done together to work through things, Blake had just run away. The pain she felt from that dulled her sorrow behind a layer of anger.

Blake ran away. Why would she do that? Why would she just abandon them? Didn't she know that they needed her? Why would she leave them to suffer?

Weiss fell into her hands once again. Her sobs were silent despite the steady flow of tears from her eyes. She should have never thought she could do this. She should have never left Atlas. She should have never trusted Blake.

* * *

A year had passed since the day. It had taken a few days for Ruby to wake up, but when her eyes opened and she saw her father's face… she wished for just a moment that she hadn't.

He had fallen into a despair so deep that nothing Ruby could do would help him. The man had lost two loves, and after a great battle had recovered. However, Taiyang could not take the loss of a daughter so young. His heart was only so strong.

It was a few more weeks when the news had hit, Adam Taurus had been found dead. It should have made Ruby happy to hear that the evil man had been rid from Remnant, but the news had left a dull taste in her mouth. Blake had gotten to him first.

She shouldn't have had those thoughts about her teammate, but Blake had ran away. The one time Ruby had needed her most and she was gone… it only made it worse that Weiss had done the same. Her own partner leaving her behind to run to Atlas.

All those sour memories were pushed to the surface. All of them revisited on the anniversary of her sister. She was happy that Qrow was kind enough to buy the drinks that would drown them all away.

The man watched from just across the small wooden table. He had managed to find the one bar in town that had no patrons to stare at her while she wept behind her drink, and for that she was thankful. It was bad enough that she had him watching her. She couldn't imagine others seeing her like this.

Ruby took another sip from her glass. This drink lacked the burn the previous one had. She had almost preferred whatever was in Qrow's flask to the fruity drink in her hand. It was too happy, too colorful…

But then, she had ordered it for that very reason.

Another few sips brought her to the bottom of the glass. Her mind shook slightly, and the world felt like it was spinning, but then she had never been one to drink. She was happy it at least managed to keep the memories away.

As she stood from the table, Qrow's arm wrapped around her to keep her still. "Easy there, Ruby. Let's get you home. Wouldn't want your dad worrying now, would we?"

Ruby shook her head slowly, but stopped her uncle from pulling her away from the table. With one hand she shakily reached for the glass and grabbed the little umbrella and placed it into the drink besides it.

"There." Ruby said aloud. "She always did like more than one."

Qrow looked at the second strawberry sunrise still filled to the brim. Two brightly colored umbrellas turned in slow circles between the layers of red and yellow. He took hold of her shoulder and turned her towards the door. "Yeah, she did, didn't she?"

Ruby gave off a light smile, the first one she had held in a long time as the pair moved slowly towards the door.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **I seriously don't know why I always choose the prompts that hurt Yang in some way. It might be because she's my favorite character and therefore the easiest to feel emotion towards, but in any case, this one was pretty brutal.**

 **You can easily make the argument that the rest of team RWBY would have made it through her death and been able to move on, but I felt like the immediate after effects would be harsh and the long term for Ruby would be especially so.**

 **However you might feel about team RWBY's reactions to Yang's death, the point of this story was to be a sad one, and I think this accomplished that.**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	46. Other 'Real' Legends of RWBY

**Prompt – Other "true" legends in the history of Remnant other than the Maidens or the Two Brothers.**

* * *

 **Take It From Me**

* * *

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Vale, there lived a very happy family. Every night they would eat together at a great big table, handing food around to each and every person until every plate was stuffed. As the family ate, the two parents would listen carefully to the stories told by their children and the group would laugh together at the misfortunes and jokes being shared.

To most, the family would seem perfect. There was, however, one member that didn't agree.

The youngest daughter arrived late to the table yet again. Her hair was pulled tightly into black braids, and her dark clothes were soiled with dirt and soot. As she pulled her chair away from the table, the rest of her family watched her with disturbed and worried faces.

"Where have you been?" Her father asked from across the table. "Dinner started twenty minutes ago and yet you've just arrived."

The girl took a single piece of bread from a loaf on the table, breaking it off and coating it with just a bit of butter before setting it down on her plate. "I was in the city, father." She spoke in a flat tone.

Her father looked infuriated. "What have I told you about going into the city?" His voice boomed out.

The rest of the table fell silent. All eyes locked onto the young girl in black clothing. "You've told me that it's dangerous. That I could be hurt."

"And yet you go and do it anyway! You may not like my warnings, but to deliberately disobey my commands…" The man brought a hand to his face as he thought on what he could do. "No. I will not have a daughter of mine risk her safety like that. If you will not respect what freedoms I've given you, then you will not have any at all!"

The girl turned to face her father. Her green eyes shook as she made eye contact. "You can't… You can't just…"

"Ariel, you are forbidden from going to the city any longer. You understood my rules and you've broken them for the last time. You are to stay in your room, locked there until you understand what it means to follow the rules of this household!"

The girl's chair squealed as it slid back from the table. Her eyes were filled with tears as she stood from her seat. "And where do you think you're going?" Her father called out.

"To my room." She yelled out in a shaky voice. "Away from you!"

The man reached out a hand in her direction as she sprinted towards the dining room doors. "Ariel! Ariel, come back!" No matter how loud his voice boomed, the girl would not hear his words. She burst through the wooden doors of the dining room, sprinting towards her room.

She raced up the stairs grabbing her bag from the railings. She wouldn't have much time, she had to get out of this place. A few more steps and she had made it to her goal. The doors to her room flew open as she raced to stuff her bag with whatever of her precious belongings she could grab.

It didn't take long for the sounds of her father coming up the stairs to reach her ears. She was running out of time! She grabbed one final item from its spot leaning against the wall and turned towards the window. She took a deep breath and zipped up her bag. It was now or never.

The sound of glass shattering rang throughout the house. The man had only just made it to his daughter's room when it happened. He could feel the breeze coming from the broken pane and could only stare out into the darkness of the night as she ran away.

* * *

 _3 Days Later_

The city was so cold at night. So much colder than the warmth of a home. Ariel could feel her body shake in the dark alleyway. The blanket she had packed away in her bag had helped the first few nights, but it had rained during the day and a wet cloth could hardly provide warmth during such a breezy night.

She couldn't stop herself from sneezing. It was only her first week by herself and already she was falling to the dangers of the city. Hunger, loneliness, and the cold. Together they made the sheltered girl feel weak and powerless to the fate she had chosen.

"I… I can't do this…" Her voice whispered behind sniffles. "I… I should've listened. I shouldn't have left…"

"Now now…" A voice cooed from the darkness. "Why would you ever want to go back to a life that isn't yours?"

Ariel flinched from under her blanket, but her body couldn't even fight to stand. Instead, her eyes looked through the darkness to find whoever had spoken. "Who… who are you?"

A pair of blood red eyes illuminated the darkness of the alley. "Who am I?" The voice asked with a hidden smile.

Ariel forced herself to nod. The red eyes awakening a fear inside of her she had never felt before. "Y-your name…"

"My name? My dear, my name does not matter." The red eyes began to move closer towards Ariel as she spoke. "Who am I? Well, that I can answer." White skin revealed itself around the dark red eyes. Black veins ran along the sides of the alien looking face, and a wicked smile revealed pearly white teeth. "My dear, I am a witch come here to help a girl in need. Does that task still require a name to be completed?"

Ariel shook her head in fear. This woman, if she could really be called that, looked more Grimm than human. She had heard stories of the creatures, but from her spot deep within the kingdom walls, she had never seen something quite like what was described in the tales.

"Very good." The woman cooed. Her hand reached out to the girl on the ground and the icy chill of the night seemed to wash away. "Now, tell me child, why have you come to this place?"

Ariel felt the warmth return to her body. Just a single touch from the woman, and she could feel the life coming back to her. "I… I wanted to live in the city…" She thought on her answer. Could she really tell this woman the full truth? "I… I wanted to live my life how I wanted to…"

"I see." The woman said with a nod of her head. "You came here for freedom from your family, and it has led you here."

Ariel's eyes went wide. "How did you know?"

The woman gave her a simple smile in return. "My dear, I am a witch. It is my duty to know all and see all. You would not be the first person like this that has needed my aid."

Ariel shook her head. "Your aid? Excuse me, but what other aid do you have to give?"

The woman's face smiled wickedly. "Oh, I can give you whatever your heart desires, my dear. All you have to do is pay a small price…"

Ariel reached for her pockets and felt the nothingness inside of them. "I… I don't have any lien."

The woman laughed at her. "My dear, I have no need for lien. I am a witch, I do not need such trivial things. No. What I need is something that cannot be created so simply. What I would ask, is for you."

"M-me?" Ariel squeaked out. "W-what do you mean?"

The woman reached out a hand to Ariel's cheek and she once again felt the warmth she so desperately craved enter her body. "My dear, a witch such as myself needs a great many things to help others in the world. I need people who are willing to help me on my journey, and I would hope that you would join me."

The woman's fingers gently slid across Ariel's cheek and down to her chin. All Ariel could do was look up into the woman's stunning red eyes. "I… I don't know how I could help." Ariel spoke softly. "I'm not very strong… I… I don't have many things."

"My dear…" The woman's voice spoke smoothly. "These are all things that I can give you…" Her eyes flashed with sparkling color and Ariel could picture the scene. Her body was strong and nimble. She was in the city, free to do whatever she chose. Free to do whatever she wanted in the city she had failed to survive in. She had a partner. Someone she could rely on and thrive with and more lien and dust than she could ever know what to do with.

"All of this could be yours, my dear. However, I would need payment for such things…"

"Please…" Ariel begged. "Anything. Anything for that…"

The witch smiled once again. "Of course my dear." The fingers against Ariel's chin ran up her face and to her hair, changing the appearance with a single passing. Ariel's body shook as a pink glow began to surround her dark clothing. The radiating light pulsing from the witch's hand. "You will have everything you desire, my dear, but first, I cannot have you go back to the life you once lived."

The hand passed over the girl's eyes, and her heartbeat quickened. "What do you mean? What are you doing?"

The witch smiled as the girl's eyes flipped through a multitude of colors as her emotions raced from fear and worry to excitement and happiness. "I am giving you what you've asked for, my dear. Strength, power, the freedom and ability to survive in the cold and cruel world." Her red eyes glowed as she stared through the girl's aura. "Yes, freedom to survive. All you have to do is serve me."

The girl went to speak out against her. To say something in return, but her voice slipped from her throat. She grasped for it, her hands reaching out to find the invisible words, but nothing came to be.

"Do not fear it girl. You will be safe under my protection. You must simply abandon what you once were." The girl's body shook and her legs buckled underneath her. Her knees fell to the damp ground and her head slumped forward.

The witch ran her fingers through the girl's multicolored hair. "Yes, we must have you abandon your old name. It won't be any use to you now." Her red eyes inspected the girl's new form. "Ah… I believe I have found the one for you, my dear…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **This one was an idea that I had in my head for a long time and I wanted to see how it sounded actually putting it on paper.**

 **The idea was the Neo could be Ariel from the Little Mermaid that had her voice taken from her. It's silly, and 100% not going to be canon, but I thought it would make for an interesting short story!**

 **As for the characters themselves, I particularly enjoyed giving Salem a try. She's not typically someone I write for, and I felt like her corrupting and manipulative ways came out pretty well! It actually made me happy that she fit the Ursula vibes naturally. Hooray for random ideas that kinda work out!**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	47. Weiss Learns to Cook

**Prompt - Weiss Learns How To Cook**

* * *

 **Rare Moments**

* * *

Knives! Finally, something she could relate to in this mysterious room. Weiss gently slid a large one out of its place in the block and inspected its edge. Sharp, possibly too much so. Klein must have touched up the edges after her request to take over the kitchen for the night.

He had seemed... stunned? Was that the right word? He had surely looked a bit off after she had mentioned cooking her own dinner for the night.

Was she really that bad? She had cooked before... well, maybe only a handful of times. And maybe those handful of times had been piecing together sandwiches... but that hadn't been her fault! Ruby just loved to bake, Yang never failed to experiment with meals, and Blake seemed to cook meat to perfection. That left Weiss to set the table and...

"I really am that bad..." Weiss spoke aloud. "How have a never learned how to cook?"

"Mom... I thought you said you were gonna teach me..." A small voice spoke up from under the counter tops. The little girl who it belonged to tugged on Weiss' skirt. "Mom... Should I ask Uncle Klein to help us out?"

"No!" The older woman's voice called out. The little girl at her feet seemed to jump at the sudden loudness. "Th-that will be quite alright." Weiss said while quickly recollecting herself. "Your mother knows how to cook, Clara."

Clara couldn't help but give her mom a funny look. "Mom, I know Mama knows how to cook. She does it all the time." The girl seemed to lose herself in thought at that. "Do you think I should've asked her to help teach me?"

Weiss could feel her teeth grind slightly. She could cook! Sure Blake and Klein were probably much more skilled, but that didn't mean she _couldn't_!

Weiss flicked the knife she held into the air. The gleaming steel caught Clara's eyes as it flipped above the two girl's heads before it began its descent. Clara went to brace herself from the falling, spinning blade, but a hand shot up and grasped it in place.

Weiss spun the blade between her fingers for just a moment. Just enough that she could show off in front of her daughter. To her pleasure, the girl stared at her in awe as the blade effortlessly passed through her fingers. When Weiss felt her trick had gone on long enough, she braced the hilt of the blade and drove it into a nearby melon, splitting it in half.

"Wowww..." Clara said slowly in amazement. "That was so cool..."

Weiss beamed. Of course it was cool. She had the skills to perform when it counted. She could find the skills to make a meal! She flipped the blade in her hand and held it out for Clara. "I believe I'm supposed to be teaching you how to do this, right?"

"Uh huh..." Clara spoke softly, still staring between her mom and the melon in amazement. Her hand shakily grabbed the knife from her mom's hand. "C-Can you show me how to do that?"

Weiss smiled at her. "Of course, Clara! How else are we going to prepare our dinner?"

* * *

It took a good while for Clara to start performing clean cuts with the knife. Nothing that she did could ever match the precision of her mother, but she was sure to try as hard as she could. When everything was said and done, a large bowl full of various fruits laid on the table before them.

"I did it!" Clara called out in excitement. "I made dinner!"

Weiss patted the girl on her back. "Oh, yes you did, Clara. And what a wonderful job you did! Now why don't you get you mama to show her how well you did?"

Clara jumped in place before racing out the door. Weiss could hear her yelling for her mama as the girl sprinted away from her. With a smile, Weiss put away the knives and looked over at the bowl of fruit still occupying the counter.

It wasn't really a dinner by any means. Sure, it would be filling, but it looked far more like a snack that a full meal. Split between the three of them... yeah, she might still need Klein to help make something. But it was a start! She had helped Clara put together a fruit salad! That was cooking! Technically... maybe...

Oh, it was close enough! She knew she had a lot to learn, but then, so did Clara. Weiss may not have learned how to use the oven and its great many confusing buttons today, but maybe her and Clara could learn together. Almost like a mother daughter bonding time. A special thing, just for the two of them...

Weiss took a piece of melon from the bowl and popped it into her mouth. The plan was settled. She would learn to cook with her daughter! Maybe next time they could even have Blake help out so they could make something far more extravagant and delicious and...

Weiss stopped her train of thought. No, Blake would take over if she let her plans slip. She would have to do this herself! She may not know how to cook the perfect fish now, but she would! And so would Clara! They just needed practice!

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Here we see Clara Belladonna once again! My little Original Character has gone on a great many adventures that I... Well, it would take me a long time to format them into something I could post here. For those that haven't run into her during my earlier entries, she is a Monochrome kid (Blake and Weiss) and you really don't need to ask how she was born between her mothers (Magic, okay?).**

 **All the same, she is so much fun to write for because of her mothers' personalities and her pure, innocent nature. She'll probably show up a few more times in this short story collection, but at some point I might write something separate for her and her two twin cousins, my other OCs, Lueur and Shan Arc who are born from Yang and Jaune.**

 **I like to have fun with different ships, okay?**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	48. Blake Introduces Kali to Yoga Pants

**Prompt – Blake introduces Kali to a new invention from Vale: Yoga Pants.**

* * *

 **Mischievous**

* * *

Menagerie. The colorful streets were just as crowded and bustling as they had even been. "Whoa! This place is awesome!" Sun called out. "What was so bad about being dumped on this island again?"

Blake turned to Sun with something in-between a frown and a death glare plastered on her face. "It's BECAUSE we were dumped here that I have a problem, Sun." She groaned when the boy scratched the back of his head in confusion. "When the war ended, we were given this island as a symbol of equality between faunus and humans. An island that was uninhabitable in half the land, and too small to fit everyone comfortably."

Sun finally nodded along. "So they left the faunus here to just kinda get rid of them. Figures. Buncha jerks..." Blake nodded to his words, no matter how simplistic they were. "So what now? I mean, we're here. So what happens next?"

Blake took a deep breath, clearly collecting herself for a big moment. "We're… We're going to see my parents."

* * *

While Blake talked with her father, Sun did his best to explore the massive house. He was totally not attempting to find the best spot to listen in on their conversation. No sir! Luckily enough, the sheer amount of wooden railings allowed for plenty of close spots for him to hang on.

With his tail firmly secured, he cupped a hand over his ear to listen in. From what he could tell, they hadn't even made it past pleasantries.

"So… is it… warm… in Vale?" The deep voice that clearly was Blake's father asked cautiously. Sun barely caught a response from Blake, but had to repress his laughter when Ghira explained his question. "It just… seems like your outfit doesn't cover very much."

"It covers plenty!" The aggravated voice of Blake made it to Sun's ears loud and clear through the screen wall.

"Oh man…" Sun chuckled to himself. "I got here just in time!"

"Got where just in time, Mr. Wukong?" A new voice called to him.

Sun jerked his head around so fast that his tail slipped from the railing. He tumbled to the ground from his perch directly in front of a woman in an eloquent gown, Blake's mother. "Uh… Hi, Mrs. B…"

"Hello again, Sun. You wouldn't happen to have heard what they were talking about, would you?" Kali's voice was sweet as she spoke. It sounded like she truly had no problem catching him… well, spying.

"I… I may have heard a thing or two." Sun rubbed the back of his head as he got back on his feet. "Honestly, the only thing I've heard so far was them talking about the weather in Vale and how Ghira wants Blake to wear some different clothes."

Kali hummed to herself. "Is there something wrong with what she's wearing?"

Sun shook his head. "I mean, a lot of the girl's at Beacon wore skirts and stuff. I don't see how tight pants really make a difference."

Kali nodded along as Sun spoke. "I see… but you did take notice of her 'tight pants' apparently."

Sun paled in front of the woman. "No no no! You got it all wrong! I didn't mean it like that! I was just… I… um…" Sun took one nervous step back away from Kali. He was trapped, he knew it. He had been caught staring and she saw right though his-

There was a tearing noise as the porch door fell behind him. Sun stumbled over the falling door and landed on the ground… Right in front of Blake and Ghira.

Sun quickly jumped to his feet as Ghira's eyes glared straight through him and into his quickly beating heart. "Whoa! This isn't the bathroom! Uh, I'll just be going! Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!" Sun looked over his shoulder for Kali to help him, but the woman had vanished.

"I really don't like you." Ghira growled. Sun could only whimper in response.

* * *

"You know, he is kinda cute." Kali said with a smile.

"MOM!" Blake flushed red as she glared at her mother.

Kali lifted a single hand to cover her small laugh. "Yes, Blake?" She said feigning innocence.

"You can't just…" Blake groaned and turned away to continue folding up what little laundry she had.

Kali wore a smug look as she watched her flustered daughter. "Funny… I didn't hear any denial there…" Blake's ears drooped on her head. Her shoulders slumped as she did her best to continue folding and ignore her mother. "I mean… It's no wonder he wants to be around you." Kali spoke softly, grabbing an article of clothing from the pile. "With pants this tight…"

Blake snatched the black fabric pants out of Kali's hands before the woman could finish. "These are yoga pants and everyone wears them in Vale!" Blake immediately recognized just how loud she had been and softened her voice. "They're good for morning stretches and workouts… and they're comfy…"

Kali took the pants back from Blake and inspected them. "I see… Would you mind if I gave them a try?"

Blake frowned for just a moment, but finally nodded to her mother as she went back to folding clothes. "What? Do you plan on getting a pair for your morning stretch?" She asked jokingly.

Kali finished pulling the pants up from underneath her gown. When everything seemed to be in place, she turned to a nearby mirror and checked the fitting. "Mmm… I have something in mind…"

Suddenly, there was a tearing noise as the laundry room door fell open in front of the women. Blake readied herself, while Kali stayed posing in front of the mirror. There was a groan from close to the floor, and Blake could hardly believe what she saw laying there.

"Whoa! This isn't the bathroom!" Ghira said immediately jumping to feet from his spot on the floor. "Uh, I'll just be going! Sorry to interrupt!"

Blake watched aghast as her father sped away from the broken door. Behind her, Kali continued posing in front of the mirror with a unrelenting smile. "Yes." Kali said to no one in particular. "I think these will do quite nicely."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey Everybody!**

 **So this one will have a special place in my heart. I was actually the one that submitted this prompt, and a few of the people I write these for laughed at the idea enough that I just had to write a story for it.**

 **It's meant to be silly and fun, but while writing it I loved the idea of Ghira bursting through the door on accident exactly as Sun had. I know Kali and him have a moment like that when they walked in on Blake and Sun, but it was something I didn't want to pass up myself!**

 **I hope it got you to laugh a bit, and as always, thank you for reading!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


	49. Shared Hobbies

**Prompt - Two characters share an unlikely hobby. This is one of their meet-ups.**

* * *

 **Short Circuit**

* * *

Saturdays at Beacon were generally a time for some much needed R&R. To the surprise of no one, a full week of classes, battling until exhaustion, and late night homework sessions took a toll on the students. No matter how hard they worked to better themselves, they were still teenagers and young adults. Sleeping in could sometimes be as useful as the extra protein served in the cafeteria on combat class days.

That being said, sleep was not for everyone. Despite the allure, some students preferred unwinding and relaxing in a far more… energetic manner.

* * *

Deep within the Emerald forest, far away from their sleeping teammates and the cozy confines of their beds, Ruby and Nora arrived at their destination. It was a small clearing in the forest with just a small hut standing in the middle. The little wooden cabin was crude, but stable. Chopping down trees had been easy enough for Crescent Rose, and hauling the fallen trunks of the tall trees had made for a solid morning workout for Nora.

Outside from the leftover stumps surrounding their little house, the area was perfect for their _hobby._

"Sooooo… Whatcha got for us?" Nora asked with a smile. "Please tell me you got some fun stuff for us this week!"

Ruby hoisted up a little sack with the Schnee Dust Company logo printed on the side. "I might've gotten something…" She teased. "You're just gonna have to wait!'

Nora pouted at her friend, but bounded forward towards the hut with the same energy she had all throughout the hike. "Fine! Quit teasing and let's open that puppy up!" She pulled on the roughly made plank door, only to have it fall over onto the grass and shatter into a heap of scorched splinters. "Oh… We should've probably fixed that from last time…"

Ruby stepped past the mixture of ash and blackened wood. "Yeah… We'll do that later!" She made her way into the cabin and to the single piece of furniture in the entire cramped space, a makeshift wooden table. Nora watched with wide eyes as Ruby gently sent the sack down onto the table and began pulling out its contents.

"Ohhh! More fire! AWEEEESOME!" Nora cheered in delight. Every time Ruby reached into the sack and grabbed another dust crystal Nora would shake in a new form of heightened anticipation.

Ruby stopped unloading the sack and turned to the visibly shaking Nora. "Nora! You're getting too close! You know the rules!" The silver-eyed girl spoke with a sudden harsh tone.

Nora sighed and reached over to grab the single decoration of the cabin from its spot on the wall. The little pamphlet slid off its nail right by where the door to the cabin once stood. She opened it up, reading off the 'rules'.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust application and practices in the field." Nora tried her best to read it as quickly as she could. Her voice raising higher and higher as the air in her lungs failed to return between words.

Ruby watched her with an annoyed look. "Nora… That's what Weiss is forced to say so we don't sue." She reached a hand over the pamphlet titled 'Dust for Dummies' and pointed to the section with 'Rules' written across the top.

Nora groaned as she read rule number one. "Handle with care. Dust is very volatile and may explode."

Ruby nodded and turned back towards the bag to finish taking out the last few dust crystals. "Uh huh! I've already blown up once this semester! I would like to never do that again!"

Nora let out an overly exaggerated sigh. "But the explosions are the best part…"

Ruby pointed to the destroyed door. "Explosions are not for in the cabin!"

Nora crossed her arms and huffed. "Finnnnneeee…"

A few moments passed as Ruby prepared the last of the crystals. "Okay. I think that's all of them…" She said as she viewed the collection on the table. "Which one should we try first?"

Nora scanned the contents and found a crystal that glowed in a bright blue. "Ooo… I like this one!" She reached over a waved it triumphantly over her head. "Alright Ruby, time for experiment number one!"

Ruby took the crystal out of Nora's hands and got to work adding bits and pieces of it to her spare 50 caliber rounds. When the dust was successfully installed, she began the process of loading up a magazine full of the glowing ammunition. With a simple pull of Crescent Rose's bolt handle, the first of the round slid into place. "Alright." Ruby said with a confident smile. "Experiment one is ready!"

Nora jumped into the air in excitement and raced outside of the cabin with Ruby following right behind her. Nora continued skipping off a fair distance while Ruby drove Crescent Rose into one of the many nearby stumps. Nora eventually made it to what she considered a 'safe' distance and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Alright! Com'on! Gimme your best shot!"

Ruby grinned and put her eye to her weapon's scope. "Get ready!" She yelled out. "Here it comes!"

Ruby pulled the trigger and the electric dust round launched out towards her red-headed friend. The dust sparked from the friction in the air sending out jolts of electricity across the large metal round. Nora watched with wide eyes as it screamed through the air towards her.

"Ahhhh!" Nora screamed out as the round made contact in her torso. Her body instantly flew backwards and into the tree line.

Ruby quickly folded her weapon and sprinted to Nora. "Nora! Nora! Are you okay! What happened? Is your aura okay?!"

Nora groaned from her spot on the forest floor. Her hand clenched. Her fingers digging into the dirt with ease. "That… felt… AMAZING!"

Ruby watched with wide silver eyes as Nora leap into the air in front of her. Pink lightning flowed around her in erratic zaps and her normally bright blue eyes sparked just a little bit more than usual. "Nora?" Ruby whispered. "Are you… okay?"

Nora punched the air. "I feel amazing! Lightning dust is AWESOME! SOOOO much better than that fire stuff that burnt my hair!"

Ruby continued to watch her friend in amazement. This dust weapon upgrade to Crescent Rose actually _helped_ Nora? The whole point of their experiments was to do _more_ damage. The whole thing was so crazy that Ruby let out a small laugh.

Nora heard her friends giggles and couldn't help but snicker herself. The whole thing was crazy! She knew she could channel lightning, but this? A full out laugh escaped, only for Ruby's to join it. The two fell to the forest floor laughing together more than they had in weeks.

"We have to tell the others!" Nora squeaked out before falling into another fit of laughter.

"But how?" Ruby asked behind a snicker. "What are we gonna do? Tell Weiss we stole her dust again?"

Nora lifted a hand in the air. "We'll tell them I got struck by lightning again! It's so crazy, they'll have to believe it!' The two fell into yet another fit of laughter as they thought up what their teammates would say when they heard the tall tale.

Yes, their friends would think they were crazy, but crazy wasn't so bad. It was the weekend after all, a time for rest and relaxation. With the lives they lived, sometimes the best way to unwind was to celebrate and let loose with just a bit of craziness.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello Everyone! Long time no post!**

 **It's been a nice long while since I updated this short story collection and I wanted to apologize for that. Since my last entry I have written about eight short stories that I mean to upload, I just haven't been able to with work getting in the way.**

 **That said, I am starting back up with this bit of fun with Ruby and Nora. After writing a lot of drama in my spare time, I felt the need to have just a little bit of fun with this one and I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Now's the part where I ask you for something! Yes you, lovely reader! Since starting this story collection earlier this year, I have written roughly 65 short stories, 49 of which are posted on here. With the end of the year coming up, I was hoping to hear what each of your favorite stories were throughout the year. The first reason for this is to see what you all are looking to read. The second reason is because there is a contest being held in the community that I write these short stories for and I would like to enter my very best entry into the mix! So your feedback is very much appreciated.**

 **So whether you liked Ilia and Weiss being useless when Ilia meets Blake's friends (My most read chapter to date), or you've enjoyed my take on what would happen if Summer Lived and Tai Died (An AU which I have a 10,000 word story started up for), let me know in a PM or a review!**

 **As always, thank so much for reading! I hope you all have had a wonderful year! I'll be sure to update this with more of my stories soon!**

 **~Sh1f7er**


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